Hanako’s story is definitely the most tragic of them all, and most certainly DOES put the player through the wringer. This arc definitely does not put the player through the wringer. He’s staying healthy, is madly in love, and has a clear path ahead of him in life. Finally, as I stated in my original review, this route has what is probably the best ending for Hisao. Before you correct me, yes, Lilly’s route has the most sex scenes, but Emi and Hisao have far more sex, it’s just most of it is off-screen. All the routes have tragedy and such in them, don’t get me wrong, but only two routes have things that make me actually uncomfortable, more on that in a bit. This route also is not grim, disturbing, or really emotionally distressing. Emi’s route makes a very good introduction to the game, as it’s pretty straightforward, but not straightforward to the point that there’s only one choice, like Shizune’s route. The first route is, of course, Emi’s arc. Long essay is long, so click to read more! I don’t want to put in spoilers, but it may be unavoidable due to the nature of this essay, so be warned. If not, or if you haven’t completed it, drop everything you are doing right now and play it to completion.Trust me, it’s worth it. If you are reading this, I am assuming you are familiar with Katawa Shoujo. I understand that this may have been intentional, but I feel a need to point it out. However, I soon realized it runs deeper than that. I have touched upon this in my review of the game, talking about how Shizune’s arc is better enjoyed when played both after Rin’s arc, and as the last route you play. However, I must argue that the arcs work best when played in the library order, that is, Emi, Hanako, Lilly, Rin, and Shizune. You see, most people don’t play the routes in order.

Now, why am I writing this? Because I noticed something I did not notice on my previous 100% run. It’s a great story, and as I said in my (admittedly not very good) review of the game, it feels good to walk the halls of Yamaku once more. One, I’ve been meaning to go back through and 100% it again, since I lost my save transitioning from my old laptop to my new one, just in case I needed to reference it for something. Why, you might ask? I have an extensive backlog of games I actually paid for, and not only is this freeware, I’ve actually finished it.

Katawa shoujo misha route