History YMMV / KatawaShoujo

* {{Misblamed}}: In regards to Act 1's bad ending, [[spoiler:Kenji is blamed for pushing Hisao off the roof. In actuality, Kenji ''warns'' Hisao that leaning on the roof is unsafe, and Hisao's death is an accident that happens due to his own alcohol induced stupidity.]]

* CommonKnowledge: During the bad ending, a lot of fans believe that Hisao is murdered by Kenji. In actuality, the narration mentions nothing about Hisao being pushed, implying that he fell off the roof by accident. It's likely that this came from a line in Emi's route where Kenji mentions that pushing someone off a roof is the best way to kill someone; fans simply took it as {{Foreshadowing}} and conflated the two scenes, despite Kenji's statement contradicting what actually happens in the bad ending.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Has its own page [[AwesomeMusic/KatawaShoujo here]].

* MemeticMutation: Has its own page [[Memes/KatawaShoujo here]].

* TheWoobie: Has its own [[Woobie/KatawaShoujo page]].
* UnintentionalUncannyValley: Nomiya's expressions can come off as this due to him being the only character in the game whose facial expressions are drawn more realistically, making his face seem more detailed than any other character. Unsurprisingly, it makes Nomiya's sillier expressions seem less goofy and more gross, which doesn't exactly help the perception of him being a MemeticMolester.

** Rin's route can be seen as [[AngstAversion overly pretentious]], [[StrangledByTheRedString forced]] and {{melodrama}}tic to the point of emotionally manipulating the viewer into feeling guilty for even ''questioning'' anything related to Super Woobie Baby Rin, as well as [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible hard to understand]] due to [[WallOfText Walls of Text]] and PurpleProse. Or as an awe-inspiring piece of literature that reaches huge CharacterDevelopment for both of them, plays the DarkerAndEdgier trope ''right'' and realistically, and can be played easily if you pay a little more attention. Alternately, was Hisao's anger and frustration towards Rin justified or did Hisao pick up the JerkassBall for the sake of adding more drama to the story?

** Kenji often gets fan-art of him of doing battle with or outright murdering the other girls due to his anti-feminist leanings. To a lesser degree, some fans do believe that he murdered Hisao during the bad ending despite that being CommonKnowledge.

* UnintentionalUncannyValley: Nomiya's expressions can come off as this due to him being the only character in the game whose facial expressions has wrinkles, making his face seem more detailed than any other character. Unsurprisingly, it makes Nomiya's sillier expressions seem less goofy and more gross, which doesn't exactly help the perception of him being a MemeticMolester.

** Shizune's brother Hideaki Hakamichi is a character who is considered quite feminine in terms of appearance and dress style (right down to wearing stockings, existing decades before femboys would come into existence.

** Kenji often gets fan-art of him of doing battle with or outright murdering the other girls due to his anti-feminist leanings.

** Nomiya. His borderline obsession with Rin's art to the point of making special arrangements to skip classes already makes him look suspect. His facial expressions being unintentionally creepy does little to help his case, Several players thought he was going to molest Rin sooner or later.[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Memetic_Molester_-_Shinichi_Nomiya_Katawa_Shoujo_7573.jpg This screenshot]] shows him [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything with his tongue sticking out of his mouth in what looks like a lecherous grin]], asking, "I wonder if [[{{Lust}} this]] is what every [[DirtyOldMan old geezer]] of an [[TeacherStudentRomance art teacher]] who [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty got his hands on]] a young and fiery prodigy felt like."

** "Measuring Shadows" for those on Rin's route due to it being the scene where [[spoiler:Nomiya loses his composure and angrily rants at Rin, exposing himself as an entitled jackass who was only using Rin for her artistic talent.]]

** Is Nomiya a well meaning teacher who is maybe a little too invested in Rin's art career, is he secretly grooming her to be a [[ReplacementGoldfish replacement for Sae's deceased husband]] or is he a DirtyCoward who wants to [[StageMom vicariously live through Rin]] because he's afraid that of ending up [[DrivenToSuicide like Sae's husband]]?

** Shizune's route is either a terribly written route lacking in romantic relations with an unlikable character, or a route with a more subdued, SliceOfLife romance justified by the Hisao's and Shizune's characterization and trust in each other. WordOfGod states that many parts of her route, [[spoiler:including what happened to the characters in its Good Ending]], were deliberately left vague so that they would be open to interpretation by the players. Apparently, more than a few players didn't appreciate this.
** Rin's route can be seen as [[AngstAversion overly pretentious]], [[StrangledByTheRedString forced]] and {{melodrama}}tic to the point of emotionally manipulating the viewer into feeling guilty for even ''questioning'' anything related to Super Woobie Baby Rin, as well as [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible hard to understand]] due to [[WallOfText Walls of Text]] and PurpleProse. Or as an awe-inspiring piece of literature that reaches huge CharacterDevelopment for both of them, plays the DarkerAndEdgier trope ''right'' and realistically, and can be played easily if you pay a little more attention.

** Some of the H-scenes have resulted in quite a few shouting matches over whether they were [[QuestionableConsent sufficiently consensual]], such as Shizune [[spoiler:tying Hisao's hands, leaving him unable to protest]] and Hanako [[spoiler:giving only vague implied consent and being noticeably uncomfortable during the scene]].
* CommonKnowledge: During the bad ending, a lot of fans believe that Hisao is murdered by Kenji. In actuality, the narration mentions nothing about Hisao being pushed, implying that he fell off the roof by accident. It's likely that this came from a line in Emi's route where Kenji mentions that pushing someone off a roof is the best way to kill someone; fans simply took it as {{Foreshadowing}} despite it contradicting what actually happens.

** Poor Shizune seems to have suffered the misfortune of being pratically set up of this. First, her route is very much an acquired taste, relying more on intellectual nuance, {{Foreshadowing}} and subtext than the "[[CatharsisFactor feels]]" that are common in other routes, meaning that [[RewatchBonus you need to play it a few times in order to truly get it]]. (The fact that it is the most linear route besides Lilly's[[labelnote:Explanation]]In Lilly's case, if you get the bad ending by making the incorrect choice at any of the three crucial moments, the route ends prematurely. If you get the good ending, it continues[[/labelnote]], [[spoiler:with only one choice]], doesn't help matters.) Second, she is a SpiritedCompetitor to a degree that [[BaseBreakingCharacter one either finds charming and endearing or obnoxious and annoying]]; she can also can be rather blunt (justified in part because she is deaf-mute). Thirdly she is TheRival to Lilly who is by far one of the most adored characters in the game and whose route is seen as much smoother and sweeter [[spoiler:except near the good ending]]. Lastly, her best friend Misha is an EnsembleDarkHorse who doesn't have a route of her own [[spoiler:and is, in fact, in unrequited love with Shizune herself - which is what triggers THE single choice in the Shizune route. Not to mention that readers prefer the other stories because they give them "the feels," and Misha, due to the sad nature of her emotional turmoil, is much more of a woobie than Shizune, causing the readers attention to be directed towards Misha and Shizune to be left in the dust]]. You'd think people would not be able to pour so much hate at an eighteen-year-old deaf girl. Interestingly enough, in Lilly's route, Shizune [[spoiler:reconciles with Lilly, and initiates the process]]. And instead of competing with the other girls over Hisao, Shizune, along with Misha, is a ShipperOnDeck in others's routes.

** Yuuko's got a sizable fanbase, with many people finding her CuteClumsyGirl personality rather endearing.

** [[http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=8971 A forum thread]] (specifically everything from the member [=ProfAllister=]) has pointed out Jigoro might actually be a {{Jerk With A Heart Of Gold}} and just dislike Hisao because that he, in his viewpoint, is his daughter's "loser boyfriend".

** Rin having [[AmbiguousDisorder autism or a learning disorder]], as well as the precise nature of her mental health issues.

** Is Kenji the ConspiracyTheorist simply as a joke or a facade for his homosexuality, or is he a true believer in his hateful theories about women, which would imply either [[TheSchizophreniaConspiracy paranoid schizophrenia]] or [[DrugsAreBad the use of certain paranoia-inducing drugs]]?

* BetterThanCanon: There is an entire category of fanfiction devoted to building upon Shizune's route in order to make the ''very'' subtle emotional element of their relationship more apparent to readers. ''Shizune's Epilogue'' and ''Fanfic/WeekendAtHisaos'' are the best known examples and are considered by many to be some of the best ''Katawa Shoujo'' fanfics out there.

** Nomiya. Several players thought he was going to molest Rin sooner or later. [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Memetic_Molester_-_Shinichi_Nomiya_Katawa_Shoujo_7573.jpg This screenshot]] shows him [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything with his tongue sticking out of his mouth in what looks like a lecherous grin]], asking, "I wonder if [[{{Lust}} this]] is what every [[DirtyOldMan old geezer]] of an [[TeacherStudentRomance art teacher]] who [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty got his hands on]] a young and fiery prodigy felt like."

** [[http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=8971 A forum thread]] (specifically everything from the member [=ProfAllister=]) has pointed out Jigoro might actually be a {{Jerk With A Heart Of Gold}} and just dislike Hisao because that he, in his viewpoint, is his daughter's Loser Boyfriend.

** Kenji's crazy rants also come off rather more uncomfortable to read now than when they were originally written, after things like the rise in Incel culture demonstrated that real people who think like that exist and aren't always as harmless as he is.

** Despite being solidified as a character before such people became infamous on the Internet, Kenji is one fedora away from a point-by-point parody of stereotypical toxic "manosphere" types. Actually, he does mention that he has a favourite hat; sadly, he doesn't specify whether it's a fedora or something else. Furthermore, in Shizune's route, he says "we live in a society", a phrase [[CommonKnowledge often attributed to the Joker]], particularly [[Film/Joker2019 Arthur Fleck]] who ended up being seen as a "Sigma Male" figure by the Manosphere.

* MemeticPsychopath: FanArt occasionally casts Hanako as a {{Yandere}} or an insane murder who kills the other girls. Kenji often gets fan-art of him of doing battle or outright murdering the other girls due to his anti-feminist leanings.

** [[spoiler:The crayon drawings as Hanako explains her house fire.]] They either enhance the TearJerker aspect of the scene or ruin it.

** Jigoro's {{jerkass}}ery gets so cranked up to eleven that you simply ''cannot'' take him seriously. A little more subtlety, please.

* SignatureScene: "Storage Space", or more specifically [[spoiler: Emi and Hisao's ill-fated experiment with anal sex]] is generally considered the most memorable part of Emi's route, and one for the game in general.

** Despite being solidified as a character before such people became infamous on the Internet, Kenji is one fedora away from a point-by-point parody of stereotypical toxic "manosphere" types. Actually, he does mention that he has a favourite hat; sadly, he doesn't specify whether it's a fedora or something else.

* MemeticPsychopath: FanArt occasionally casts Hanako as a {{Yandere}}.

** The lemon-flavored lubricant in Emi's route is kind of funny to think about when one realizes that this is pretty much just a visual novel {{lemon}}.

* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
** Late in Lilly's route, [[spoiler:as she is preparing to go to Scotland permanently]], she tells Hanako about how they became friends. Lilly says she did not befriend Hanako out of pity, but out of a desire to know more about her, and she considers her a strong person at heart who will be able to take charge of her own life [[spoiler:even after Lilly is gone]]. Lilly's statement becomes even more powerful when you consider that in Hanako's route, Hanako believes that Lilly and Hisao pity her.
** Also on Lilly's route, Hisao openly refers to Shizune as his friend on two occasions, once to Lilly, no less. Once you play Shizune's route and see how desperately she has tried to make friends, you can see that this comment has more weight.

** In Rin's route, Hisao remarks on [[spoiler:how embarrassing it would be to have a heart attack in the middle of sex]]. In Lilly's route, [[spoiler:Hisao ends up having a bit of a fit when taking the lead, and ends up on the floor clutching his heart in pain]].
** The "Who's there? ... No answer, must be that deaf bitch." meme regarding Lilly's rivalry with Shizune. [[spoiler:Toward the end of her route, there's a scene in which Lilly thanks Misha for retrieving a folder for her, only to realize Shizune did it instead when she gets no response, and the two reconcile.]]
** Late in Lilly's route, Hisao stops by the Hakamichi residence [[spoiler:in hope of catching Lilly before she leaves for the airport]], and gets slightly bothered at the gruff, annoyed voice on the other end of the intercom. This serves as a bit of foreshadowing for when we actually get to meet the guy who the voice belongs to in Shizune's route, namely [[{{Jerkass}} Jigoro Hakamichi]].

** Kenji's description of his manly picnic - "No glasses, no napkins, whiskey only" brings to mind the "No items, Fox only, Final Destination" meme, and at the end of the rooftop scene you find that once you saw the line Hisao was indeed on his way to his "final destination".
** In their first meeting, Rin asks Hisao if he likes watching girls sleeping. Hisao watching his girlfriend sleep is something that happens in multiple routes, and several times in Rin's own arc.

** Kenji. See AlternativeCharacterInterpretation above. Particularly during the earliest possible DownerEnding where - as he gets closer and closer to Hisao - the love-theme To Become One plays.

* ItWasHisSled:
** From Emi's route: [[spoiler:Anal.]]
** Misha is [[spoiler:a lesbian]]. This stopped being a spoiler very soon after release.
* LoveToHate: Jigoro gets this sometimes, due to his JerkAss nature being seen as over-the-top and comical.

* CrossesTheLineTwice: Averted. Since the original concept was quite possibly intended as edgy satire, one might expect the game to take this form. Instead, it's a reasonably nuanced and respectful take on the subject.
** Occasionally played (unintentionally) straight if you have the [[BleachedUnderpants sex scenes disabled]]. In Hanako's route, she exposes her chest (and scars) to Hisaeo before making love with him. The censored version replaces the explicit details with a random image, such as ''[[FauxSymbolism fried shrimp]]''.

** Misha. A common question to the developers is if she'll have her own route. She doesn't, won't, and was never going to.

** [[spoiler:Rin's "I've got no arms to hug you with."]]
** The brief appearances of the girls on other routes can be this if you've played their routes before, especially when you consider their psychological problems, which are not likely to be addressed.
--> '''Lilly:''' "My, is that you, Hisao? I've not heard from you in some time. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me." (During Emi's route)
** Kenji says at one point that if he were to kill someone he'd throw them off the roof and make it look like the accident. [[spoiler:The Act 1 Bad Ending goes exactly like this, only with Hisao dying by falling off the roof by accident.]]

** In Emi's route, she jokingly questions why Misha would hang out with someone as bossy as Shizune. In Shizune's route, you find out the real reason: [[spoiler:Misha is in love with Shizune, but it is not requited and causes her a great deal of pain]].
** On several instances in Emi's route, lighthearted remarks are made as to how incomprehensible Rin and her art are, including the comment that not even Rin expects her art to be understood. [[spoiler:Viewed in the light of Rin's route, where it turns out that Rin tries to use her art to express herself, the casual dismissal becomes devastating.]]
** Lilly often teases Akira about her cooking skills. [[spoiler:Later on, it's revealed that Akira had to raise Lilly by herself after their parents left, and believes that she didn't do a very good job. Her inability to cook likely comes off to her as more part of a personal failing than a minor shortcoming]].

** Jigoro's {{jerkass}}ery gets so cranked UpToEleven that you simply ''cannot'' take him seriously. A little more subtlety, please.

----

* BrokenBase: Which girl has the best route? Was it worth the wait? Is it even worth playing? The HypeBacklash ''does not help,'' and there are three routes in particular that get this reaction:

* CrazyIsCool: Kenji, a [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} paranoid]], [[HeManWomanHater misogynistic]], overly hyper, [[TestosteronePoisoning manly]], loud {{jerk|ass}}? Yeah, this is pretty much the reason he became so popular.

** Kenji Setou is often referred to as "Kenji Potter" for his general resemblance to Franchise/HarryPotter (hair, glasses, dress style), as well as being at a boarding school where he is a little out of his depth, though that is where similarities end.

** Kenji's crazy rants also come off rather more uncomfortable to read now than when they were originally written, after things like the rise in Incel culture demonstrated that real people who think like that exist and aren't harmless.

** Despite being solidified as a character before it became infamous on the Internet, Kenji is one fedora away from a point-by-point parody of the "men's rights activist" movement, which quickly became a front for regular ol' misogyny. Actually, he does mention that he has a favourite hat; sadly, he doesn't specify whether it's a fedora or something else.

** Jigoro's {{Jerkass}}ery gets so cranked UpToEleven that you simply ''cannot'' take him seriously. A little more subtlety, please.

* PeripheryDemographic: This is yet another example of an {{eroge}} managing to attract a surprisingly large female fanbase. There is also a good portion of the fandom that is under the age of 18... technically making them too young to legally download the game in many jurisdictions.

* PreemptiveShipping: Right from their announcement, fans had a field day shipping the deaf-mute StudentCouncilPresident Shizune and her sign language interpreter/VoiceForTheVoiceless Misha. On release of the full game, they turned out to be [[spoiler:a drama-heavy case of IncompatibleOrientation, and coyness about this was almost certainly a ploy by the creators.]]

* SignatureScene: "Storage Space", or more specifically [[spoiler: Emi and Hisao's ill-fated experiment with anal sex]] is generally considered the most memorable part of her route, and one for the game in general.

** Kenji's crazy rants also come off rather more uncomfortable to read now than when they were originally written, after things like [=GamerGate=] and [=QAnon=] demonstrated that real people who think like that exist and aren't harmless.

** Rin's route can be seen as [[TrueArtIsAngsty overly pretentious]], [[StrangledByTheRedString forced]] and {{melodrama}}tic to the point of emotionally manipulating the viewer into feeling guilty for even ''questioning'' anything related to Super Woobie Baby Rin, as well as [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible hard to understand]] due to [[WallOfText Walls of Text]] and PurpleProse. Or as an awe-inspiring piece of literature that reaches huge CharacterDevelopment for both of them, plays the DarkerAndEdgier trope ''right'' and realistically, and can be played easily if you pay a little more attention.
** Lilly's route is a sweet and adorable romance between two persons who are WiseBeyondTheirYears and manage to support and understand each other faster than many teens in love, or a super boring piece of unrealistic and [[TastesLikeDiabetes diabetes-inducing]] {{Glurge}} with a self-righteous Purity Sue that belongs more in a Harlequin RomanceNovel than a somewhat realistic VisualNovel.
** Some of the H scenes have resulted in quite a few shouting matches over whether they were [[QuestionableConsent sufficiently consensual]], such as Shizune [[spoiler: tying Hisao's hands, leaving him unable to protest]] and Hanako [[spoiler: giving only vague implied consent and being noticeably uncomfortable during the scene]].

** Occasionally played (unintentionally) straight if you have the [[BleachedUnderpants sex scenes disabled]]. In Hanako's route, she exposes her chest (and scars) to Hisaeo before making love with him. The censored version replaces the explicit details with a random image which could turn out to be...[[FauxSymbolism fried shrimp]]

** Poor Shizune seems to have suffered the misfortune of being pratically set up of this. First, her route is very much an acquired taste, relying more on intellectual nuance, {{Foreshadowing}} and subtext than the "[[CatharsisFactor feels]]" that are common in other routes, meaning that [[RewatchBonus you need to play it a few times in order to truly get it]]. (The fact that it is the most linear route besides Lilly's[[labelnote:Explanation]]In Lilly's case, if you get the bad ending by making the incorrect choice at any of the three crucial moments, the route ends prematurely. If you get the good ending, it continues[[/labelnote]], [[spoiler:with only one choice]], doesn't help matters.) Second, she is a SpiritedCompetitor to a degree that [[BaseBreakingCharacter one either finds charming and endearing or obnoxious and annoying]]; she can also can be rather blunt (justified in part because she is deaf-mute). Thirdly she is TheRival to Lilly who is by far one of the most adored characters in the game and whose route is seen as much smoother and sweeter [[spoiler:except for the end, but that one also ends up well]]. Lastly, her best friend Misha is an EnsembleDarkHorse who doesn't have a route of her own [[spoiler:and is, in fact, in unrequited love with Shizune herself - which is what triggers THE single choice in the Shizune route. Not to mention that readers prefer the other stories because they give them "the feels," and Misha, due to the sad nature of her emotional turmoil, is much more of a woobie than Shizune, causing the readers attention to be directed towards Misha and Shizune to be left in the dust]]. You'd think people would not be able to pour so much hate at an eighteen year old deaf girl. Interestingly enough, in Lilly's route, Shizune [[spoiler:reconciles with Lilly, and initiates the process]]. And instead of competing with the other girls over Hisao, Shizune, along with Misha, is a ShipperOnDeck in others's routes.

** Rika and Saki, the girls of the non-existent expansions from the [[http://katawashoujo.blogspot.com/2011/04/announcement-future-plans.html 2011 April's Fool]] post.

** The girls you didn't choose's brief appearances on other routes can be this if you've played their routes before, especially when you consider their psychological problems, which are not likely to be addressed.
--> '''Lilly:''' "My, is that you, Hisao? I've not heard from you in some time. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me." (During Emi's route.)
** Kenji says at one point that if he were to kill someone he'd throw them off the roof and make it look like the accident. [[spoiler: The Act 1 Bad Ending goes exactly like this, only with Hisao dying by falling off the roof by accident.]]

** In early builds of the game [[spoiler: Misha would [[DrivenToSuicide commit suicide]] in Shizune's route because of her unrequited love for her.]] Sounds kind of like the problems [[VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub Sayori and Monika face.]]

** On several instances in Emi's route, light-hearted remarks are made as to how incomprehensible Rin and her art are, including the comment that not even Rin expects her art to be understood. [[spoiler:Viewed in the light of Rin's route, where it turns out that Rin tries to use her art to express herself, the casual dismissal becomes devastating.]]

** In Rin's route, Hisao remarks on [[spoiler:how embarrassing it would be to have a heart attack in the middle of sex]]. In Lilly's route [[spoiler:Hisao ends up having a bit of a fit when taking the lead, and ends up on the floor clutching his heart in pain]].

** Despite being solidified as a character before it became infamous on the Internet, Kenji is one fedora away from a point-by-point parody of the "men's rights activist" movement, which quickly became a front for regular ol' misogyny. Actually, he does mention that he has a favourite hat, sadly, he doesn't specify whether it's a fedora or something else.