The Otakuologist

So I just finished my first pass at Katawa Shoujo, and I have to admit, I’m a fan.  Who’d have thought a bunch of US fanboys could come up with a story so complex?  I actually caught

Image by psygeist via Flickr

myself pumping my fist when Emi asked Hisao for that kiss.

For those of you who don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, “Katawa Shoujo” is a kind of game popular among the Japanese known as a “Visual Novel.”  It’s kind of a “Choose your own adventure” kind of thing, except it’s software instead of a book.

Anyway, KS is unique in a few ways: It was produced here in the states by some users of 4chan and other communities, and what makes it more unique is it’s subject matter.  It’s an eroge based on characters who are handicapped in some way or another.

You might expect that it’s just chock full of nothing but cripple sex, but that could not be farther from the truth.  There’s an actual story here, folks.  A complex and engaging story that made me do the fist pump described earlier.  This is not fetish work.  This is a great game that I thouroghly enjoyed.  Sure I had to leap over a few of my own prudish barriers when it came to the sex but I quickly got over it when I realized that the sex wasn’t about sex, but about love.

Uh oh, my secret is out.  I’m a romantic.

Whatever.  I encourage everyone to go out and try this game so you can see what I’m talking about for yourself.

I let slip that a character named “Emi” asked a character named “Hisao” to kiss her, but that’s not the only story.  I’m beginning my second run and it seems that I’ll be sending my man Hisao into the arms of another girl pretty soon.

If you’re a VN fan and want to play the game, here’s the link.

Related articles

• Best In Shoujo: Katawa Crash (rockpapershotgun.com)
• Katawa Shoujo (outofcontinues.wordpress.com)
• Impressions: Katawa Shoujo (rockpapershotgun.com)
• Katawa Shoujo out now (vg247.com)
• Katawa Shoujo Released (janaiblog.com)