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10->''"You are not alone, and you are not strange. You are you, and everyone has damage. Be the better person."''
11-->-- From [[http://i.imgur.com/9JeSr.jpg this official art]]
12
13''Katawa Shoujo'' (''かたわ少女'', translated as "Cripple Girls") is an English-language [[RomanceGame Bishoujo Game]] VisualNovel developed by 4 Leaf Studios using the MediaNotes/RenPy engine. It's also an [[HGame eroge]], though the explicit content is a small part of the overall game and can be disabled if the player so chooses.
14
15Hisao Nakai, an ordinary teenager living an ordinary life, has it turned upside down when a congenital heart defect forces him to attend a new school after a long stay in the hospital. Despite his initial feelings of alienation and difficulty fitting in, Hisao comes to befriend his new classmates while pursuing a romantic relationship with one of the five girls he has class with. Sounds like your average DatingSim full of cliches, right? Well, you may indeed see a lot of cliches in this game, [[{{Deconstruction}} but you will not be seeing them the way you usually do]].
16
17If you are curious about the title, "Katawa" [片輪] is actually a Japanese word meaning "imperfect" or literally, "one wheel" (not a polite word to use, it has about the same connotations as "crippled." See IntentionallyAwkwardTitle below). The concept is based entirely on a [[https://web.archive.org/web/20181206202207im_/http://shimmie.katawa-shoujo.com/image/1.jpg single-page]] [[BonusMaterial omake]] by {{doujinshi}} artist RAITA (aka the character designer for ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles''). The page showed several young women with disabilities: blindness (Lilly), major burn scars and accompanying mental/emotional trauma (Hanako), deafness (Shizune), legs amputated below the knee (Emi) and missing arms (Rin). Website/FourChan[[note]]later some non-4chan users joined the team[[/note]] instantly took to the concept and began developing the game in earnest, taking care to present the disabilities in a realistic and respectful way. The game takes place at the fictional Yamaku High School for disabled teenagers, and all the main characters have some sort of disability, including [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_QT_syndrome Long QT Syndrome]] (the hero, Hisao).
18
19A demo of the game, titled "Act 1", was released in May 2009, and covers the entire first Act of the final game, before it branches to paths specific to each girl. It proved popular and was eventually translated into eight languages (English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and both simplified and traditional Chinese). The full version [[http://katawa-shoujo.com/ (also free of charge)]] was finally released January 4th, 2012, on the fifth anniversary of the original Website/FourChan thread that started the game's development.
20
21The characters also make an appearance in the fanmade Flash game ''VideoGame/KatawaCrash'', an irreverent, ShoutOut-filled remake of ''VideoGame/NanacaCrash'' made while the VN was in the late stages of development. There is also ''Katawa Shoujo Lite'', a ''{{Franchise/Castlevania}}'' parody starring Kenji made by [[http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7291 this fan]], with the rest of the cast (minus Hisao) serving as the enemies. And [[https://archive.org/details/DonkeyKenj "Donkey Kenj,"]] a free Unity-based game for Windows/Mac/Linux based on ''Katawa Shoujo'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong''.
22
23Also worth noting are ''VisualNovel/MissingStars'' and the now-shelved ''[[https://web.archive.org/web/20150927013319/http://blog.love-despite.com/ Love Despite,]]'' [[VisualNovel Visual Novels]] set in a school for students with physical/mental disorders being developed by fans of KS as [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Successors]].
24
25Some of the developers have gone on to work on other projects. Lilly's writer, Suriko, is now working on the visual novel [[https://blog.salty-salty-studios.com/2016/announcing-first-snow/ First Snow]] with developers Salty Salty Studios. Weee, the artist for Hanako's character art, did some of the art for the yuri kinetic novel ''VisualNovel/HighwayBlossoms''. She did some of the [=CGs=] including the sexual [=CGs=].
26
27A fandub for the game, called ''[[https://www.youtube.com/user/KatawaSeiyu Katawa Seiyū]]'' ([[http://hbhc.kutagh.com/viewforum.php?f=15 fora here]]) was being worked on. It was originally set to be released on February 14th, with the cast being unveiled every two days, but this was been pushed back until all the minor characters of Act 1 were unveiled, meaning that the release date was constantly pushed back. Notable creators attached include WebVideo/LilyPichu, Sydsnap and WebVideo/JesuOtaku (a member of Website/ChannelAwesome); the latter of which was voicing Rin, but later said on Twitter in April 2014 that the project was dead. However, nine video clips of the project have been released.
28
29Another ongoing fandub from the Let's Dub Project can also be [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwr4APntuEQvJQOpb6X239meZeKYjt1ep found here.]]
30
31See also ''VisualNovel/EverlastingSummer'', another Visual Novel project by an otaku imageboard.
32
33----
34!!''Katawa Shoujo'' provides examples of:
35
36%%
37%% NOTE: Only general tropes for the work should be listed here. Please restrict character-specific examples to the Character Sheet
38%%
39
40[[foldercontrol]]
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42[[folder:A-B]]
43* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil:
44** Played with. Kenji seems to believe this is the case but in truth, great responsibility doesn't come with great power at Yamaku. The local student council has to perform a superhuman amount of tasks for the school festival, but can't seem to get the rest of the student body to take part of it off their hands. Might be different if the student council wasn't so [[ClubStub understaffed]].
45** It's revealed in Shizune's route that the Student Council is so small because of her attempts to ''play this straight''. Before she became President, the Student Council was quite larger, but didn't actually ''do'' anything aside from hand out mail and surveys. Shizune attempted to get the Student Council to take on significantly more responsibility, but ended up driving off everyone but Misha due to her abrasive methods. Also, in Lilly's route it's revealed that [[spoiler:Lilly used to be part of the Student Council as well. However, it's implied she left because she didn't agree with Shizune's Machiavellian style of leadership, something that is also referenced and confirmed in Shizune's route]].
46** Jigoro, who has nothing but contempt for the council, believes that Yamaku is not much of a school if three students (Hisao included) can run the student body, especially considering that [[WhatExactlyIsHisJob Hisao and Misha do not have official positions]]. Shizune, on the other hand, seems to consider most of Yamaku to be apathetic.
47* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: Misha's simultaneous communication is very unrealistic, but Shizune's scenes would be a bit tedious if they tried to portray sign language realistically.
48* AccidentalKiss: Sort of. In Shizune's route, Hisao and Shizune decide to make a game while carrying Kenji's very large box to the school, which he doesn't get in the mail because he's afraid someone might go through it. Hisao accidentally touches Shizune's hand, which causes her to stumble, meaning she has to carry the box on her own. As noted on the Fridge page, Shizune uses sign language, so her hands are extra sensitive, and in her H-scenes, she has a fascination with hands. Touching her hands are just as sensitive as kissing her.
49* AddedAlliterativeAppeal:
50** Acts 2-4 of Rin's route are titled "Disconnect", "Distance", and "Dream" respectively.
51** The scene in Act 1 where you meet Emi while going out with Shizune and Misha is called "[[Theatre/TheMikado Short Sharp Shock]]".
52** A paragraph in Rin's neutral ending has a tinge of this: [[spoiler:"It's teasing, taunting. [...] I'm sure it would tickle tantalizingly and I would giggle even though I'm a guy."]]
53* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: "Crescendo" in Lilly's route. After Hisao [[spoiler: has a heart flutter because he forgot to take his medication in the excitement of their holiday, she tells him that she loves him in a rapid-fire way and begs him never to leave her. He calls her an [[InsultOfEndearment idiot]] for worrying about him and [[Heartwarming/KatawaShoujo confesses his feelings for her too]].]]
54* AirplaneOfLove: [[spoiler:In the animation at the start of Lilly's route, reflecting her conflicting feelings between her newfound love and her obligation to her family]].
55* AliceAllusion: The chapter where Hisao attends a tea party with Lilly and Hanako is called "Mad Hatter".
56* AllForNothing: Played straight with [[spoiler: Lilly's neutral ending, where she just abruptly leaves for Scotland (for good) despite all the development she had with Hisao. The Good Ending is all about subverting this. Hisao pulls a RaceForYourLove to stop her from leaving for Scotland forever, suffers a heart attack just a few feet away from her, and wakes up in a hospital bed, alone. Then you hear [[ChekhovsGun Lilly's music box]] playing next to him. Then Lilly herself walks in. [[TearJerker And then the tears start rolling]]]].[[spoiler: To top it off, Lilly decides to stay, and her sister was inspired to get her own boyfriend a passport so that he could join her in Scotland]].
57** Also [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in Hanako's Bad and Neutral endings. [[spoiler: In her bad ending, she screams "Nothing has changed, nothing at all!" at Hisao before telling him ([[PlayerPunch and the player]]) how much she hates him and Lilly. In her Neutral ending she tentatively asks "Everything's the same as before, isn't it?" to which Hisao agrees.]]
58** This is discussed during Rin's route where [[spoiler:Nomiya asks Rin what was the point of him helping to nurture her talents and working hard if it all amounts to nothing in the end.]]
59* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Discussed in some of the neutral and bad endings... it's unclear in the neutral ending for [[spoiler: Lilly whether she really does love him or whether she decided to simply play him and then leave. Similarly, Hanako and Misha have sex with Hisao not necessarily because they're attracted to him, but almost purely out of goodwill. Emi goes in the opposite direction, wondering whether Hisao would leave her if he found out about her emotional baggage]].
60* AlternateTimeline: As a visual novel, this is obviously in play. But even ignoring the things that happen ForWantOfANail, there are differences between the paths that are hard to reconcile.
61** One is the precise timing of [[spoiler:Iwanako's letter]]. While the timing is similar in Lilly and Hanako's routes (after Hanako's birthday party) and Emi and Rin's routes (after the track meet), in Shizune's route, it does not come until after the visit to the Hakamichi house, and after all the other routes would have ended.
62** Another is Tanabata, which seems to occur in July in Shizune's route (during the school term [[spoiler:before Lilly leaves]]), and in August in Lilly's route (during summer break [[spoiler:and Hisao's second hospital stay]]). Both timeframes are plausible on their own (different places celebrate the festival according to the Western or traditional Lunar calendar), but both are treated by the story as the same event and thus mutually exclusive.
63** Yet another is [[spoiler:the inexplicable presence of Lilly near the Bad End of Shizune's route, long after she should have left for Scotland (which is the entire reason she was at Shizune's house earlier in the route). Either she eventually decided to come back on her own, or the path writers didn't compare notes as much as they should have]]. Confusingly enough, [[spoiler:Akira talks about selling her car, but says that she'll be gone for "a while."]]
64* AmbiguouslyBi: [[spoiler: Misha. It's not clear whether she is ''more'' attracted to Shizune than to Hisao but still likes him enough to have sex with him, or whether she truly felt depressed enough to have a romp in the hay with a person to whom she isn't attracted ''at all''. That she is clearly very uncomfortable during the scene supports the latter reading, though it could also be because she feels guilty about it]].
65* AmbiguouslyGay: Kenji's hatred toward women, having no problem being naked in front of Hisao in the showers, and [[spoiler: his decision to make a move on Hisao in the Ultimate Bad Ending]] could qualify him for this, but it's left up in the air.
66* {{Animesque}}: Despite being a Western-based work, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this is a translated VisualNovel made in Japan, considering that the art style, setting and writing highly resembles Japanese works. There are quite a few Japanese idioms in the dialog and narration, too.
67* AppearanceAngst: Hanako is deeply ashamed of the scars she sustained from her house burning down, and she makes every effort to cover them up and avoid contact with other people, to the point that she often skips class in order to read alone in the library.
68* ArtEvolution:
69** The end credits include a video of the girl's art evolution after her [[MultipleEndings Good Ending]].
70** Also seen [[https://imgur.com/a/jBwA7#doMYnh7 in this comparison picture]].
71* ArtImitatesArt: [[https://katawashoujo.fandom.com/wiki/Act_3_-_Distance Rin's Act 3 ("Distance")]] has both Hisao posing like ''Art/TheThinker'' and Rin posing like the Art/VenusDeMilo, and a promotional montage incorporating all the girls' handicaps makes up a version of [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/231158-katawa-shoujo Vitruvian Man]].
72* ArtReflectsPersonality: Rin struggles with expressing herself, and tries to do so through her art. It's abstract and strange, though, and to her disappointment, nobody really ever manages to understand her through it the way she wants.
73* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Crops up from time to time. Assuming the game is indeed set somewhere around Sendai, it's about seven hours by conventional train to Hokkaido, and both trains that go that far are sleeper trains. (They also skip Sendai going the other way.) Hideaki also mentions that his and Shizune's parents' house is in Saitama, yet [[spoiler:Hisao manages to take a cab there in a very short amount of time in Lilly's route]], even disregarding the small fortune he'd have to pay to get there[[note]]Japanese cabs are ''insanely'' expensive and closer to a limo service than taxis in other countries. The average taxi cost in Japan is ~600-650 yen for boarding and first 1.5 km, and then 600-650 yen for each next kilometer. There is about 320 km between Sendai and Saitama, meaning something in the vicinity of ¥200,000 for the ride, or, in other words, roughly $2000[[/note]].
74** The money needed to pay the taxi fare is {{handwaved}} by Kenji on one route[[note]]Emi's to be precise[[/note]], mentioning that Hisao has a stash of emergency money found in his room, though this still doesn't make taking a cab any more practical, as taking a train is not only much cheaper, but much faster as well.[[note]]The fastest Hayabusa train takes only 67 minutes for the ride between Sendai and Omiya stations, and costs about 20 times cheaper (10670 yen to be precise), while a taxi would take almost four hours due to the Japanese highway speed limit of 80 km/h.[[/note]]
75** The school itself is apparently built between Aoba Castle and two Tohoku University campuses. In RealLife, the area in question is a forested hill so steep that it's impractical to build anything there.
76* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: The actual medical terms are pretty accurate, but the nurse does seem pretty blasé about confidentiality, discussing Hisao's private medical matters right in front of other people, and letting Hisao know confidential information about other students. Hisao even lampshades it.
77* ArtsyBeret: Minor character Takeshi Maeda is a beret-wearing artist.
78* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: "Iwanako" and "Yamaku" - by the time the dev team realized they weren't real names at all, they had decided not to change it. They rectified it by still trying to conform to name standards anyway and use kanji with meanings (Iwanako's name having the kanji for [[MeaningfulName a type of fish]]) Kenji actually [[LampshadeHanging touches on this]] in Shizune's route.
79* AsideGlance:
80-->'''Kenji:''' This rock-fish-kid-chick totally still wants you.
81* BaitAndSwitch: The meeting at the start. Hisao meets the girl of his dreams, and the narration starts describing his apparent lovestruck reaction - his heart is racing wildly, he can't move, etc. Classic romance novel purple prose, right? Nope, it's [[spoiler:heart attack symptoms]].
82* BarbieDollAnatomy: Not extremely obvious, but if one looks closely on the nude sprites of Lilly and Shizune you'll notice they're... lacking something that's not nipples.
83* BerserkButton:
84** [[spoiler:Nomiya]] seems pretty nice and relatively normal, until [[spoiler:Rin walks out on her art exhibition (as part of her Good Ending, no less) and he goes ''nuts'', giving Rin what is probably the most [[TearJerker heart-crushing rant]] in the whole game. Seems he got a little too invested in her possible success as an artist..]].
85** Hanako absolutely hates being treated like she's a broken person who can't do anything for herself. Hisao (and by extension, the player) learns this the hard way if you've put yourself onto the Bad Ending route
86* BigEater: Misha and Emi.
87* BigFancyHouse: [[spoiler:Shizune and Lilly's]] families both have one, although they [[InsistentTerminology don't like them being called mansions]].
88* BilingualBonus:
89** [[spoiler:Iwanako's letter]] can be read, though it can be difficult to understand because of the writer's (or artist's) unfamiliarity with Japanese.
90** There are signs advertising beer at the school festival.
91** In Rin's route, you can see her name printed on a flyer in the scene just prior to the [[spoiler: [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown Caught With Your Pants Down]] moment. Her last name, Tezuka, is written with the characters 手 (hand) and 塚 (mound)--mound being English slang for the [[StealthPun mons veneris]].]]
92** The books in Lilly's dorm room have real titles. She seems to be a big fan of detective novels.
93** A blink-and-you'll-miss-it example in Shizune's route, where Kenji takes [[spoiler:Iwanako's letter]] from you and reads it, remarking that it's from some [[spoiler:Rock-Fish-Kid chick]], which are the kanji used to spell [[spoiler:Iwanako's name]].
94* BillBillJunkBill: On their first actual date, Lilly and Hisao go to a high-class restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant has no Braille menus. Even more unfortunately, several of the menu items are in English or French. Lilly asks if there's any entrees with fish. Hisao scans the menu...
95-->'''Hisao:''' No. No. No. No. Aren't those poisonous? No. No. No. They eat that stuff? No. No. No. No... ah, here we go.
96* BittersweetEnding: ''Katawa Shoujo'' was declared the first and last title Four Leaf Studios will develop shortly after its release. However, the blog post made on the release day suggests that they're happy with overall outcome:
97-->"Even though our story has ended, you will now be able to experience a new story; the story that Four Leaf Studios existed to create."
98** Of course, [[TenMinuteRetirement a few days later:]]
99--> [[PutOnABus "We have no plans to make other visual novels. That doesn't mean that we never will. We might, or some of us might, at some point in the future."]]
100** Hanako's Neutral Ending results in [[spoiler:Hisao and Hanako sharing a simple dinner and a nice chess game... but never developing their relationship past mutual friendship. It's also implied that this sort of relationship will eventually prove self-destructive, since Hisao will continue to put Hanako's needs ahead of his own]].
101** Shizune's Good Ending can be interpreted as this. [[spoiler:It has Shizune, Misha and Hisao preparing to go their separate ways on the eve of graduation while vowing to remain friends and to see each other again one day. They even take a picture doing the Musketeer pose at the gates. It's not explicitly said that they're forced to completely separate, though, and it's said in the game that it could really go in any direction. Hisao claims he wants to keep chasing Shizune and to spend the time he has left with her, but there's no telling if their relationship will actually last, or how]].
102** Even [[spoiler:Rin]]'s Good Ending can be interpreted as this. [[spoiler:Hisao realizes that she will never be his like he wishes she could, so definitely a normal love relationship with her is something completely out of the question. But he decides to accept her like that, anyway. To some readers, that's just painful]].
103** Also in [[spoiler:Rin's]] Good Ending, [[spoiler: while Hisao and Rin ([[MaybeEverAfter ambiguously]]) find a way to make their relationship work, there still remains the fact that Rin may have thrown away her chance at a career, leaving her with an uncertain professional future]].
104** Although Lilly's Good Ending [[spoiler:is much better than her [[DownerEnding Neutral Ending]], it still has a hint of Bittersweet in the fact that Akira is still planning to leave for Scotland, perhaps never to be seen by Lilly again]].
105*** There's also a troubling implication that, since she blatantly went against her parents' wishes [[spoiler: by staying in Japan, Lilly]] might be [[spoiler: cut off from the wealth which she's clearly used to living in. While this sounds heartwarming in theory, people who grew up being used to money solving their problems and affording them a comfortable lifestyle are notorious for having difficulty adjusting to a life of poverty (or even the middle-class. Assuming Lilly and Hisao "follow their dreams" and become a pair of teachers, it is hard to imagine that she'll ever again get to enjoy some of the luxuries she probably takes, at this point, for granted]].
106* BlackComedy:
107** [[spoiler:The Act 1 Bad Ending]].
108** Unintentionally, [[spoiler:if the sex scene after Hanako shows you her scars gets randomly censored by [[RelaxOVision fried shrimp on the barbecue]]]].
109* BlandNameProduct: Inadvertently averted with the "Aura Mart" convenience store in town. The outside is a 7-Eleven (written in kana), while the inside is a Sunkus (visible clearly on the wall).
110** Averted when Hisao, Shizune and Misha play TabletopGame/{{Risk}}.
111** Also averted in a CG in Lilly's route, where the beer that Akira's drinking is clearly marked as Sapporo.
112** A laptop is labelled "Heihachi," which is both a Bland version of the tech company "Hitachi" and a reference to Heihachi Mishima, a character in the ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' fighting games.
113* BlatantLies:
114** Hisao assuring Kenji that he won't go to the festival.
115--->'''Kenji''': Don't go to the festival.\
116'''Hisao''': Okay.
117** Shizune and Misha denying that they planned setting him up in the Shanghai.
118--->'''Hisao (narration)''': I start to think that, maybe, this was all an elaborate set-up leading up to this moment. Maybe Shizune lured me out here, banking on the possibility that I'd lose track of time and be forced into [joining the student council]. Diabolical.\
119'''Misha''': By the way, Hicchan, I didn't plan this at all, things just happened to work out this way~!
120** After spilling grape soda on a library book and having to explain the smell to [[HotLibrarian Yuuko]]:
121--->'''Hisao''': I'm trying out grape cologne!
122** When Hisao is asking Yuuko how to handle the situation in Shizune's path:
123--->'''Hisao''': "I feel like two of my friends are fighting because one of them is taking the fact that we might not see each other again after we graduate really hard. [...] [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial It's not Shizune and Misha, by the way]]".
124** In Lilly's route after Hanako's birthday party (and sharing 2 bottles of wine with Hisao and Hanako):
125--->'''Lilly''' "I'm not... wasted... just a little bit... tired"
126---> '''Hisao (narration)''' She starts pouting, a slight slur beginning to distort her words as the alcohol takes hold again.
127** Hisao says in Lilly's route that during their trip to Hokkaido, they "just studied and went sightseeing," when in fact, [[spoiler:he and Lilly had a RelationshipUpgrade and had sex twice]]. He's forced to tell the truth when Misha and Shizune don't believe him.
128* BlindAndTheBeast: Hanako was left disfigured in a fire. Lilly, her best friend, is blind since birth. While not everyone is repulsed by her appearance, many of those who are not, such as Hisao, often act awkwardly while trying to avoid looking at her scars, and Hisao suspects that as that does not apply to Lilly, it was easier for her to befriend Hanako.
129* BlindWithoutEm: Kenji. [[MortonsFork He's also blind with them]].
130* BloodstainedDefloration: Lilly bleeds in her first sex scene with Hisao in her path.
131* BookEnds:
132** On [[spoiler:Lilly's route]], ignoring the pre-credit intro and the post-credit epilogue, the story opens with Hisao in a hospital and [[spoiler:(for the Good End) ends with him in a hospital bed. The difference being who is there with him. The ending even reuses a few lines from the post-credit prologue, and Hisao also points out that [[LampshadeHanging he feels as though he's back to where he started]]]].
133** Also, [[spoiler:the beginning with falling snow resembles Rin's good ending with floating dandelion seeds]].
134** At the start of Act One, Hisao stands in front of the gates of Yamaku, alone, abandoned by his old friends, and with not even a thought about his future. [[spoiler:In Shizune's Good End, he is in front of those same gates, but this time, [[TwoGirlsAndAGuy his girlfriend Shizune and their best friend Misha are at his side]], and he now sees a clear vision of the future in which he returns to Yamaku as a teacher, and he is determined to continue his relationship with Shizune after school]].
135*** Similarly, in a scene in Lilly's route that is the end of the story if you haven't fulfilled the conditions for the good ending, Hisao stands at the gates, [[spoiler:watching Lilly leave for Scotland]].
136** Hanako's "Ivegottogodosomething!" (and ensuing run out the door) happens at two points. Once when Hisao first talks to her at the very beginning and once [[spoiler:after Hisao slept with her and they come eye to eye in class, just before their final confession in the park]].
137*** In Lilly's route, Hisao's last conversation with Hanako, like the first, is in the library. However, thanks to her CharacterDevelopment and friendship with him, she's comfortable around him this time, and Hisao and Yuuko make note of how much she has changed.
138** At the beginning of Act One, Hisao finds himself thrust into Yamaku due to a condition triggered by a confession from a girl. He is not at all happy about it and seems to think his life is over, at least as a normal person. In any of the good endings for Act One Hisao comes to terms with Yamaku and accepts it as his school by participating in the festival with a girl. On the other hand, in Act One's bad ending, [[spoiler:Hisao's life really is over]].
139** Two of the scenes in Rin's route, ''The Scent of Light'' and ''Raison D'etre'', are very similar both in the actions taken as those scenes come to a close, and in Hisao's narration to the audience over those actions.
140* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: Hisao's own borderline VerbalTic.
141-->''Like a statue. Or a zombie. A statue of a zombie.''
142-->'''Hisao:''' "Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Last week those two [[spoiler:(Shizune and Misha)]] were like bloodhounds. Or prison guards. Or maybe prison guards bred from bloodhounds..."
143* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: A bit of this can be found within most of the girls' paths (depending on your choices), but it's particularly prevalent in Lilly's path. Hanako and Hisao can be easily seen as a {{gender flip}}ped version, too [[spoiler: but it can end ''badly'' if he goes overboard]].
144* ButThouMust: Encouraging [[spoiler:Rin to do the art exhibition]], regardless of previous choices or if you think it's really a good idea. This one is especially silly because previous choices can add or subtract options from the [[spoiler:"to exhibition or not to exhibition"]] choice, and you can end up with up to six different options... all of which encourage her to go for it. Some of them give a scene variation later, but none of them have any major effect on the plot.
145** The [[spoiler:Mind Your Step]] scene in Act 1 always sends you straight to a bad end if you pick the "wrong" choice, and you're forced to visit this scene on three of the five routes (including [[spoiler:Hanako's]], which is strange because she isn't even ''in'' the dangerous scene).
146** In [[spoiler:Slow Recovery and Home Field Advantage]], you do not have the option to tell Shizune and Misha about Hisao's disability [[spoiler:but declining rudely rather than politely gets you the bad ending]].
147** In Hanako's route, if you chose [[spoiler:not to go into town]], your choice [[spoiler:of whether to listen to Lilly, which determines whether you get the "good" or "neutral" ending]] does not matter; [[spoiler:Hisao will still go check on Hanako and get the bad ending]].
148** The above two cases are perhaps perfect textbook examples of the trope. [[spoiler:The reason it is instant Bad End if you make the 'wrong' choice, or prevents you from getting the Good End if you don't go into town, is that much of Hanako's opening up to Hisao about her past is initially based on 'repaying' the fact that Lilly told her what Hisao said about his condition]].
149** On a minor note, Kenji complains about losing his bet over Lilly's ethnicity regardless of whether you choose to listen to him. Though Hisao's lack of real interest in what he has to say has never stopped him from ranting before.
150[[/folder]]
151
152[[folder:C-E]]
153* CallBack:
154** In Emi's route, Misha and Shizune will warn you of the dangers of spending so much time on the roof, referencing [[spoiler:the way your manly picnic with Kenji ends in Act 1's bad end]].
155** In the very next scene, you have a chat with Kenji where he mentions how he'd kill someone on the roof by making it look like an accident. [[spoiler:Which is about what he does in the manly picnic, except in that cause, it happens by accident]].
156** In Shizune's route, [[spoiler:Hisao turns a corner, bumps into a group of people, and reflects that it was stupid, since it could have been fatal. This is a double whammy CallBack: in Act 1, Emi runs into Hisao, triggering a heart flutter, and at the end of Lilly's route, Hisao running into someone ''does'' cause a heart attack severe enough to end up in hospital]].
157** A moment of irony in Shizune's BadEnding: [[spoiler:the plush cat Hisao won for her at the festival is visible as Hisao walks away, lamenting that he isn't able to help her]].
158** In Rin's Act 1 ending, she wonders what to call a group of butterflies. In her good ending, she finds the word, a "swarm."
159** Lilly and Hanako's routes have a "call sideways" between each other. In Hanako's route, Lilly buys her an expensive doll for her birthday. In Lilly's route, Hisao buys Hanako a cheaper doll from the same shelf in the same store, noting that he can't possibly afford any of the others.
160** At the end of Lilly's route, Hisao promises to take her to the next Tanabata festival, in reference to a promise made at the end of Act 1, [[spoiler:which he is unable to keep when he is hospitalized again]]. It's lampshaded in the following exchange.
161---->'''Lilly''': You... remembered that?
162---->'''Hisao''': I've got a pretty good memory. Sometimes.
163* CallingYourAttacks: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]].
164--> ''Shizune makes an X with her arms. That either means "denied" or that she's about to use her special attack.''
165* CantHoldHisLiquor:
166** Hanako gets completely wasted on her and Lilly's routes on her birthday party, despite only having a few glasses of wine. Lilly is also affected, but not to the same extent. Justified in that they're both underage for drinking anyway.
167* CardiovascularLove: SubvertedTrope - despite the game's premise, the bandaged heart logo of the game (the heart being of the stereotypical shape of this trope) stands for the protagonist's arrhythmia.
168** Though it could also serve to symbolize the damaged emotions of many of the girls, and the game's premise itself.
169* CasualVideoGame: Even though it's a visual novel, its routes are somewhat easy to navigate, compared to other visual novels. Of course it depends on what route you choose, and how big of a bond you make with the characters.
170** On Shizune's route, it is next to impossible to get her Bad Ending, as it's down to a single, very logical decision (maybe made more difficult if you cannot decipher what the choice really meant).
171** It's pretty obvious whether the choice is good right after you make it, too. Shizune will praise you for [[spoiler: your aggressiveness in the game, you claiming responsibility for helping the festival. Sleeping with Misha also is a pretty obvious red flag that something wrong happened]].
172* CatapultNightmare: Happens to Hisao in Lilly's route. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant This has absolutely nothing to do with the spinoff game Katawa Crash]].
173* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: The first sex scene with [[spoiler: Rin Tezuka]] begins like this. [[spoiler: Hisao goes one night into her atelier and finds her naked save for her see-through shirt, barely lucid after spending several days trying to gain inspiration, and attempting to relieve herself with masturbation... or something similar, since she has no arms (most likely by rubbing her thighs together while fantasizing). Hisao realises what's going on, gives Rin a CoolDownHug, undoes her buttons, and then fingers her to help her finish]].
174** Also happens with [[spoiler: Emi's first sex scene, where Rin waltzes into the room in her signature style]].
175* CentralTheme: There are several for the game in general:
176** People with disabilities are just that - ''people''. Nothing [[DisabilitySuperpower more]], nothing [[DisabledMeansHelpless less]].
177** Similarly, every single person has insecurities - and it's not always what might seem obvious.
178** Another overarching theme: You can't simply ignore your past, but you can't let it weigh you down and keep you from moving forward either.
179** A man's attractiveness is inversely proportional to how needy he is. This is made readily apparent in Hisao's routes with [[spoiler:Emi and Hanako]], where choosing to be clingy and over-invested usually leads to their respective bad endings. By contrast, choosing to be more vulnerable and open results in Hisao being perceived as more attractive to the girl whose path he's on.
180* CerebusSyndrome: [[spoiler:Rin Tezuka]]'s route is much darker than Act 1, and is dark throughout its entire length, compared to other routes which have some lightheartedness in them.
181* ChekhovsGun: In Emi's route, if you choose [[spoiler:to listen to Meiko's advice, Hisao later digs out Iwanako's letter and finishes reading it, gaining some measure of inspiration to resolve the problems in his relationship]].
182* ChekhovsGift: In Lilly's route, the origami crane she gives Hisao [[spoiler:later motivates him to track her down. Much more noticeably, hearing the music box Hisao gives her earlier on play in the Good Ending is the first sign that Lilly didn't return to Scotland and instead stayed behind to build a future with Hisao]].
183* ChekhovsLecture: On Emi's route, [[spoiler:Mutou will pull Hisao aside for a talk about science--culminating in an exchange on things that can't directly be observed, like black holes; the way to observe what's going on is to look for their influence on other objects. This advice comes in handy when Hisao and Emi's relationship runs into trouble]].
184* CherryBlossoms: They're visible floating outside the window when Hisao is in the hospital.
185* ClarkKenting: Referenced by Kenji.
186-->'''Kenji:''' [[BlatantLies I don't even need glasses to see]]. [[PurelyAestheticGlasses They're for effect]]. Also, to protect my identity. I'm like Superman.
187-->'''Hisao:''' [[LampshadeHanging Worst disguise ever]].
188* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Rin, though it's deconstructed in her route. Shizune's father is one as well, although he adds in a load of JerkAss. Kenji also has shades of this. And Hideaki, Shizune's little brother.
189* ClubStub:
190** Shizune is rather... difficult to get along with, even without taking her deafness into account. This has ramifications for the amount of people she can rely on in the student council.
191-->'''Hisao:''' This confirms what I have thought before but have never actually been able to confirm definitively: [[spoiler:Shizune and Misha are the student council. The ''whole'' student council]].
192** In Emi's route, [[spoiler:Mutou starts a science club with Hisao as the only member]].
193* ColorCodedCharacters: Each girl has a different hair color, and whenever they speak their names are colored accordingly. Almost.
194* CoversAlwaysLie: A variation in the chibi icons of the girls in the extras-menu in the game. Shizune's icon, used for the Library, is depicted with a book, even though she's far from the typical brainy, bookish meganekko. Lilly's icon, used for the Jukebox, is shown singing, even though she mentions in the game that it's actually Hanako who likes to sing and she doesn't care for it that much.
195* CondescendingCompassion: Discussed; both [[spoiler:Hisao (in Lilly's route) and Hanako (in her own route)]] have an acute fear that being treated as someone to pity will keep them from being seen as an equal partner in the relationship. In a meta sense, one could say that averting this trope is the point of the work as a whole.
196** If you happen to fall into this trap, it almost guarantees things are going to end badly. [[spoiler:Hanako in particular will ''explode'' if she realizes you're doing this and haven't figured out that she wants Hisao ''and you'' to stop]].
197* CrashIntoHello: Emi and Hisao. A bit of a twist in that Hisao isn't just startled - such a collision could be seriously dangerous given his heart condition.
198* CreatorCameo: The convenience store "Aura Mart" is named after one of the lead writers of the game.
199* CreatorsCultureCarryover:
200** In one instance, Hisao orders (and receives) a turkey sandwich at the Shanghai, which is treated as unremarkable. Turkey is largely unavailable in Japan outside specialty shops that cater to foreigners, and most Japanese who haven't been outside the country have rarely, if ever, had a chance to try it.
201** With rare exceptions, the characters tend to address each other by their given name alone, whereas normally in Japan one would address someone by their surname plus an [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics honorific]] (unless they're ''very'' well-acquainted). The writers worked around this with the girls asking for more informality, but it's still odd if you are used to stories set in Japan. This is probably a TranslationConvention resulting from the development team's effort to avoid "anime-isms". Similarly, characters address their older siblings by first name, rather than UsefulNotes/JapaneseSiblingTerminology or any equivalent.
202** In Lilly's path, she, Hisao and Hanako talk about distances using the Imperial units. [[spoiler:Lilly's mother hails from the UK]], but that wouldn't explain Hisao and Hanako being so familiar with them.
203** The sign language taught at Yamaku and used by Shizune and Misha would presumably be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_sign_language Japanese Sign Language]], which naturally has signs corresponding to Japanese kana. Despite this, when Misha tutors Hisao, she begins with the Latin alphabet as if it were a Western sign language like ASL. It's possible that this is just a TranslationConvention, but it's still a little jarring.
204** In Act 1, Misha takes Hisao's "maybe" answer to her invitation to join the Student Council with a measure of relief, as she sees it as better than him refusing, whereas [[JapanesePoliteness Japanese often say "maybe" rather than outright refusing]] (although Misha is typically unable to grasp subtle social cues). However, Hisao ultimately does not join the Student Council in four out of the five routes, and in Shizune's, he points out that he did not wish to do so at first.
205** "French vanilla tea"? This is tacky by Western standards, but in Japan, where green tea is the norm, it sounds downright implausible.
206** Hugging friends is a rather American thing to do. Europeans do not typically do that unless they are lovers, and the Japanese even less.
207** Hisao shakes hands with some characters on first meeting, and Rin jokes about not being able to do so. While hand-shaking is not an unknown custom in Japan, most people bow instead.
208** The game's characters seem to be more familiar with chess than shogi, despite the latter being much more common in Japan. When you learn Hanako mostly plays chess with Lilly, it seems plausible that Lilly learned the game from her Scottish family and taught it to Hanako, but it doesn't really make sense for anyone else. Then, in Lilly's route it is revealed that Lilly actually picked it up from Hanako rather than the other way around.
209** Rin eats curry with a fork; in Japan it is normally eaten with a spoon. Though it could be that she finds a fork easier to wield with [[HandyFeet her foot]], or just prefers forks for some [[CloudCuckooLander personal reason]].
210* CrossCulturalKerfluffle: The name of the girl who confessed to Hisao, Iwanako (岩魚子), is an obviously made-up first name by non-Japanese speakers that doesn't exist as a name you'd normally give to children in Japan, to say the least. It literally means [[NonIndicativeName "Rock Fish Child"]], which makes sense if you realize it was [[TranslationTrainWreck translated into Japanese]] ''after'' it was conjured up with English letters. To English speakers, the name works because [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign they don't know better]].
211* CryIntoChest: See InelegantBlubbering below.
212* CureYourGays: ''Smashed to pieces''. [[spoiler: Misha is a lesbian and in love with Shizune, and yes she can have sex with Hisao. But it's presented as a '''terrible''' idea from the beginning to the end, Hisao only learns she's a lesbian ''after'' they have done it, Misha ''remains'' in love with Shizune after the sex, '''and''' the whole deal leads directly to Shizune's bad ending]].
213* DamnedByFaintPraise:
214** While considering Shizune and Misha's contributions to group work, Hisao thinks to himself that Misha has "nice handwriting."
215** When talking about her visit to her parents' house, Akira said the best part is their house being beachside, which shows just how little regard she has for her parents.
216* TheDayTheMusicLied:
217** In Shizune's path, when Kenji takes off his glasses, "Friendship" plays, typically reserved for emotional moments such as [[spoiler:Hisao running after]] Lilly or Emi [[spoiler:telling Hisao about her dead father]], but he goes on talking about bizarre things as usual. This is followed by a RecordNeedleScratch when he puts them back on.
218** In Hanako's path, [[spoiler:while she is drunk, in her room with Hisao]], "Letting My Heart Speak," a theme that typically plays during sex scenes, plays, [[spoiler:but Hisao resists the temptation and puts her to bed]].
219* DeadpanSnarker: Hisao, at least when [[TalkativeLoon Kenji]] is around. Rin and Shizune also count.
220* DearJohnLetter: [[spoiler:Hisao receives a letter from Iwanako, which ends by saying it might be better if they never see each other again. His reaction in each path is different, depending on how his new relationship is going at the time, and in some routes, he is able to reach an epiphany that helps him in his current relationship]].
221* DeclarationOfProtection:
222** Seemingly played straight with Hanako, but actually a {{Deconstruction}}: [[spoiler:Because everyone tries to protect her, she's internalized the idea that she's useless. Getting her GoodEnding requires Hisao to stop treating her as a fragile flower and to treat her as a person with her own agency]].
223** Played around with Emi's path. [[spoiler:Her dislike of white knighting comes from her refusal to get close to people in fear of being hurt. If you handle your cards well, she and Hisao can reach a sort-of compromise]].
224* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: ''Every single route'' is a deconstruction of some common archetype of eroge heroine:
225** Hanako, the ShrinkingViolet [[spoiler:who resents (or, in the case of her bad end, outright despises) her would-be protectors and caretakers, thinking that they don't really love her so much as they love pitying her so that they can feel better about themselves]].
226** Rin, the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} [[spoiler:whose "strangeness", rather than being funny or cute, is presented in all of its terrible, disturbing twistedness and who wishes to be understood like a normal person but simply can't express herself properly (and [[CloudCuckooLandersMinder trying to understand her issues]] is not as easy as it seems)]].
227** Shizune, the [[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya Suzumiya-esque]], [[SpiritedCompetitor over-driven]] megalomaniacal student council president [[spoiler: whose competitive and overbearing nature is so off-putting that virtually nobody likes her and she only has one friend]].
228** Emi, the cheerful, [[GenkiGirl energetic]] PluckyGirl with a matronly side and a penchant for balancing cuteness and seduction, is a double layered trap for the average VN player. That her upbeat persona [[spoiler:hides a desire to escape the emotional impact of her father's death]] is an idea most of them would be familiar enough with from other stories to expect. That [[DontYouDarePityMe she doesn't want to be comforted about it or help with it]], however, might hit them hard - especially once it turns out that if they push enough, she just gets annoyed and ''leaves'', like that. Within a subculture which idolizes often unrealistic standards of romance, the thought that someone might just decide that their loving partner is ''annoying'' and leave them without all that much a fuss (something which happens every day in real life) rather than following some grand melodramatic breakup is horrifying.
229** Lilly, the [[{{Ojou}} refined]], kindly caretaker type, seems at first to cater to those stereotypical eroge players who seek less a girlfriend and more an idealized, fantastic surrogate mother who will approve of their stagnating lifestyles, cater to their every need and allow them to sleep with her to boot. She is the most traditionally beautiful of the girls, is never mean or condescending towards Hisao, doesn't appear to have any of the personal issues that trouble the other girls and in her own route, is more than happy to let him laze about on the couch all day watching television while she cooks for him and later goes on to have plenty of sex with him. [[spoiler: The deconstruction appears when, later in the route, unforeseen circumstances force her to leave Japan, and Hisao, who has spent the last few months being completely coddled, realizes to his horror that he hasn't emotionally matured at all, doesn't know how to confront reality and has no idea what to do]].
230* {{Deconstruction}}:
231** In their determination to make the game as believable as possible, the devs have ended up creating a masterful deconstruction of just about ''everything'', from eroges, to visual novels, to sex scenes, to love stories in general, to the love stories of visual novels.
232** Even minor details, like the weird hair colors so common to Anime-esque works that they would otherwise go completely unnoticed, are treated thus. [[spoiler:Misha's pink hair and outrageous style are not only immediately commented upon and constantly mentioned as standing out, it eventually turns out that she deliberately dyed and made it up (her natural hair is brown, straight, and utterly unremarkable) in reaction to a trauma that forms the core of her conflict later in the story]].
233** In the good endings, it almost borders on a DeconReconSwitch. At least, it seems to have this sort of effect on the audience, forcing a deconstruction of the sorts of people who would initially be drawn to a given character, and then requiring them to reconstruct themselves in order to get the good ending.
234* DemotedToExtra: Occurs to most of the girls when you're playing another girl's route for obvious reasons.
235** This can lead to some extremely heartbreaking events in several of the routes that would go unnoticed or be completely meaningless otherwise, such as [[spoiler:Lilly and Akira being at Shizune's house during Summer break while playing Shizune's route. If you've played Lilly's route, then you should know why she's there]].
236*** [[spoiler:This is made confusing by her appearance near the Bad End of the same route, which is either a sign of botched writer coordination, or an indication that Lilly would eventually have decided to stay and[=/=]or come back on her own if she had been left to her own devices (remember that Hisao doesn't even know she was supposed to leave in Shizune's route)]].
237** Perhaps the most painful example is in Emi's route if you've played Lilly's beforehand. [[spoiler:You'll randomly run into Lilly at some point, and the first things out of her mouth are along the lines of "I'd thought you'd completely forgotten about me."]]
238*** A similar event happens in Shizune's route shortly before the bad ending, and Lilly appears to be displeased with Hisao's decision to join the Student Council
239** In Emi's route, Hisao meets up with Rin briefly, who unhappily mentions that her art teacher has been putting pressure on her to work harder. [[spoiler:If you've played Rin's route, you know it will ''not'' end well]].
240** Played somewhat more lightly in Hanako's route, when Misha and Shizune complain about Hisao "not playing with them" anymore, though they lighten up when Hanako comes to work with them in class. [[spoiler:Though if you remember [[LoveTriangle what can potentially happen between you, Misha and Shizune]]..]].
241** How about the other way around: if you play Hanako's route after you play Shizune's [[spoiler:all of a sudden Shizune's disappointment at the end of the chess scene where she concludes that Hanako does not love the game of chess per se, merely the memories she associates with it, and therefore, it is not something that the two can bond over and become friends, becomes a whole lot sadder, especially considering that both of them have difficulty making friends]].
242** Another note in Lilly's route. When you're having a tea party with Lilly and Hanako, [[spoiler:Hanako seems somewhat uncomfortable while Lilly and Hisao are speaking romantically about each other. In the same scene, when Akira calls Hisao a perv for looking at Hanako and Lilly in their pajamas, Hanako says that it's okay as long as it's Hisao. Implying that she does have romantic feelings for him, but he never notices and she isn't going to say anything about it. Furthermore, Lilly and Hanako have a private conversation after Hanako hears that Lilly and Hisao are a couple; one has to wonder if they were talking about Hisao]].
243** After Lilly and Rin's encounter in Act 1, Lilly will say, regretfully, that she has trouble understanding Rin, and keeps her distance. Considering Rin's struggles to be understood in her route, this becomes more depressing in hindsight.
244*** Fast forward to the disastrous dinner at the Ibarazaki house, Meiko will speculate in conversation that Rin "does not expect to be understood."
245* DescriptionCut: At the end of a scene in Lilly's route, Hisao wonders about where Lilly is planning on taking him for their date. After the transition finishes, the next scene opens [[spoiler:in a fancy restaurant]] with Hisao thinking to himself that this was the probably the last thing he had in mind.
246* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Hanako, Rin and Shizune]] all reach this point in their Bad Endings.
247** Narrowly averted by [[spoiler:Hisao himself]] during Lilly's [[spoiler:good]] ending. After [[spoiler:failing to catch up with Lilly at the airport due to an inconveniently timed heart attack, Hisao realizes that he has lost Lilly for good]] and falls into despair. [[spoiler:He snaps out of it once he finds the music box he gave her next to his hospital bed, signifying the fact that she never actually left]].
248* DestructoNookie: In the form of a pillowfight [[spoiler:in Emi's route]].
249* DisabledLoveInterest: All the girls and Hisao himself qualify to some extent, some more so than others.
250* DisabledMeansHelpless: Beyond defied, the biggest moral of the VN is that '''disabled doesn't mean helpless.''' Rin has no arms yet can paint perfectly fine, Emi has no legs but her prosthetics allow her to be in the track team, Lilly who is blind is a better cook than her tomboy sister who can see, and Shizune is the student council president despite being deaf. Beyond that, a good part of the flaws they have are tangentially related to their disabilities -- they're related either to the incidents which caused said disabilities (for Emi and Hanako) or the incidents which said disabilities lead to (for Shizune and Lilly).
251* DissonantSerenity: Shizune and Misha manage this between them when Emi [[CrashIntoHello "meets" Hisao]] in the hallway; Shizune's "divine fury" in her signing is translated by Misha in a "girlishly playful" manner.
252** This actually happens on a few other occasions, such as Lilly and Shizune's argument in Act 1: it's clear that Shizune is ''very'' angry, but Misha continues to translate as though they're having a polite conversation about the weather.
253* DisturbedDoves: Sent flying by Nomiya's AnnoyingLaugh.
254* DontYouDarePityMe: Lilly, Hanako, Emi and Hisao, all to varying degrees. Emi is vocal about disliking White Knights, while Lilly enjoys poking people who become flustered about her blindness (but says in all seriousness that she would be offended if Hisao pitied her and Hanako). Hisao worries that Lilly is pitying him, and Hanako is actually pretty quiet about you pitying her. [[spoiler:At least until her Bad End, where [[BewareTheQuietOnes she explodes at you]] and calls you out on how she hates pity]].
255* DoorClosesEnding: Has one for Rin's Route [[spoiler: If you select "Then Explain" during Hisao's argument with her, he slams the door on his way out, ending with a short quip]].
256** And also in Hanako's route [[spoiler: In her bad ending, since she throws him out of his room during her breakdown]].
257* {{Doujin}}:
258** The dev team has sold hard copies of the Japanese translation at Comiket and [=COMITIA=], along with a number of artbooks and short stories.
259** The roots of the entire project are firmly embedded in doujin; the omake page the concept was derived from is from a {{hentai}} ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' doujinshi called ''Schuppen Harnische''.
260* DownerBeginning:
261** The game begins with Hisao having a heart attack, being hospitalized, and his would-be girlfriend leaving him [[spoiler:since he unintentionally drives her away]].
262** ''Katawa Shoujo Lite'', a fangame starring Kenji, starts right after the no route ending of Act 1, as shown by [[spoiler:Kenji, in his own mysogynist, paranoid way, recapping Hisao drunkenly falling off the roof]].
263* DownerEnding: Of course, the Bad endings.
264** In Act 1, if you fail to open up any of the routes, [[spoiler:Hisao gets drunk with Kenji, falls off the roof, and dies]].
265** Lilly [[spoiler:returns to her family in Scotland, breaking up with Hisao and leaving him behind forever]].
266** Both Emi and Rin [[spoiler:break up with Hisao when they realize their relationships won't work. (And it's implied Rin may ''commit suicide'' later.)]]
267** Shizune and Misha [[spoiler:have their friendship destroyed if Hisao decides to have sex with Misha.]].
268** Hanako [[spoiler:lashes out at Hisao, revealing that she despises him and Lilly for constantly coddling her]].
269* DramaticSitDown: In Shizune's {{Bad Ending}}, [[spoiler: Misha [[SexForSolace asks Hisao to have sex with her]] [[StepfordSmiler since she is so lonely]]. Shizune proceeds to break up with Hisao because she believes she is ruining his and Misha's lives. The last thing we see of Shizune is [[TearJerker/KatawaShoujo her sitting all alone on the stairs]]]].
270* DrugsAreBad:
271** Invoked though averted when Hisao becomes concerned about what Shizune and Misha might think of the absurd number of medications strewn around his room.
272** While the usual aesops about the evils of smoking don't appear, it's made fairly obvious that [[spoiler:Rin's desire to smoke is another sign of her gradual mental breakdown as she desperately grasps at anything that might inspire her]].
273* DudeLooksLikeALady: Hideaki. He looks like a girl and in many ways acts like one.
274* DysfunctionJunction: Yamaku High School is expressly made for disabled students, though Lilly mentions there are also students with none (like Misha, who enrolled to become a sign-language teacher). While physical disabilities need not lead to dysfunction, many students have obvious emotional baggage that may come from their condition or be exacerbated by it, like Hanako.
275* EarnYourHappyEnding: For the good ending, Hisao and whichever girl whose route he's on are going to struggle and suffer, quite a bit in some cases, but in the end they are rewarded with having a happy, bright future together to look forward to.
276* ElaborateUniversityHigh: Yamaku is absurdly large and well furnished. This is explained away in the game with the school having some ''very'' good funding, as well as high tuition fees. The size of the school can be justified, though, since students with specific disabilities, such as having to use a wheelchair, would need a good amount of room to move around easily.
277* EmpathicEnvironment: Hanako's creepily bleak room. Hisao's also goes undecorated for the entire game, and early on, it nicely matches how he feels out of place at Yamaku.
278* TheEndOrIsIt: Hanako's Bad End is seen as this by many players, who do not view its outcome as completely negative. [[spoiler:Maybe it's over between her and Hisao (and possibly Lilly too), or after some time to cool down and reflect, a friendship may resume on new and different terms, but either way, Hanako has expressed her true feelings and, albeit traumatic, it may have been what she needed to come out of her shell]].
279* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The head nurse's name is never given.
280* EvolvingTitleScreen: When you first launch the game, the title screen is blank except for the menu. However, as you proceed to unlock each of the game's different paths and their respective routes, the sketches of the acts' opening screens will fill the title screen gradually.
281[[/folder]]
282
283[[folder: F-L]]
284* TheFaceless: Iwanako, Hisao's crush at the start of the game, is never clearly seen. This even carries over to much of the fan art.
285* {{Facepalm}}: Early in Lilly's route, this is Hisao's response to her implying he is interested in Akira.
286* FailureHero: In Hanako's route, [[spoiler:Hisao's attempts to help Hanako consistently make her psychological problems ''worse'']], a fact truly driven home after playing Lilly's path, where [[spoiler:Hanako's complexes are much less severe and she opens up to Hisao a lot more, purely because he treats her as a person instead of a weak lamb]]. Ultimately, both Hisao and Hanako come out of it as stronger people, but it's one hell of an EarnYourHappyEnding.
287* FailureIsTheOnlyOption:
288** You and Hisao can't win that game of ''TabletopGame/{{Risk}}''. How badly you lose and the tactics that you use can make a difference though.
289** In Emi's route, [[spoiler:Hisao will get thrown out of the house regardless of his choice, although the right choice will send him toward the good ending without having to make any more decisions]].
290* FakeLongevity: What makes each girl's storyline so long is that within each track to a certain ending, there are optional snippets of dialogue and pictures that can only be accessed by making the proper choices at each juncture. This results in players having to repeat overly long and repetitive scenes, though thankfully there is an option to fast-forward through the dialogue. As a result, it's often recommended to make a save at dialogue choices so that players don't have to spend time going through all of Act 1 again in order to return to their desired route.
291* FanDisservice:
292** [[spoiler:Rin's]] first H-scene is ''decidedly'' unsexy, as it reflects how [[spoiler:she's more and more emotionally unstable. Even if you help her to get off and have some momentary relief, her problems are just about to get worse..]].
293** The same goes for [[spoiler:Hanako's, since it's obvious that she's very not comfortable initiating sex]] - which [[ItMakesSenseInContext makes sense]] [[FridgeBrilliance when you reach the Good End]] and learn that [[spoiler:it was more about showing Hisao that she's not a helpless child to be protected]]. It's an H-scene played to the tune of [[spoiler: ''Painful History'']], after all.
294** [[spoiler:Shizune's route]] also has one of these instances. [[spoiler:Here's your sex scene with Misha, and she has a rather pudgy but cute body too! Only both Hisao and Misha are guilt-ridden over the fact that Hisao is cheating on Shizune. To make it worse, Misha only asks for it due to her emotional turmoil over her unrequited love for ''Shizune'', and the guilt both Hisao and Misha feel over it winds up tearing the friendship apart and leading to Shizune's bad end (in which ''she blames herself'' for what happened)]].
295** Although not on the same level as the above three, some found one H-scene in [[spoiler:Emi' path]] to be this too. She and Hisao's [[spoiler: experimentation with anal sex]] is so ''incredibly'' awkward for both of them that it becomes comical instead of titillating. Both repeatedly insist that they have [[ImNotDoingThatAgain no desire to try again]].
296* {{Fanservice}}: The ''Soft Hour'' art book features almost nothing but erotic images of all the girls.
297* FestivalEpisode:
298** The SchoolFestival, which is the climax of Act 1.
299** The school and wider community celebrate UsefulNotes/{{Tanabata}} in Shizune's route. Hisao plans on taking Lilly to Tanabata, [[spoiler:but his second hospitalization thwarts this plan]].
300** [[spoiler: Shizune suggests that they all go out for tea in her Good ending]].
301* FlatWhat:
302-->'''[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Kenji]]:''' "That blind broad is up to no good; I can feel it in my spleen, man. Her presence is like a dark shadow that's in the way of my great vision. [[HypocriticalHumor As expected of blind people]]."
303-->'''[[OnlySaneMan Hisao]]:''' "What."
304** Hisao does it again when Kenji claims to have proof that Lilly is in the mafia.
305* {{Foil}}s: In Hanako's route in Act One, Hisao thinks of Hanako and Lilly as being foils for Misha and Shizune.
306* FoodEnd: [[spoiler:Hanako]]'s Good Ending ends with [[spoiler:Hisao suggesting that the two grab a bite to eat, and the final image pans to two muffins in a bakery]].
307* ForeignLanguageTitle: ''Katawa Shoujo'' was developed in English by an international team. There are plans for a Japanese localization, eventually. The latest version of Act 1 can be played in Japanese.
308* {{Foreshadowing}}:
309** As a general example, the animations that appear at the end of Act 1 contain hints about what will happen in the following route.
310** In Rin's route, [[spoiler:Sae's story about her husband foreshadows what will potentially become of Rin in her second Bad Ending]].
311** Lilly's route has Hisao sleeping uncommonly well during their brief vacation. [[spoiler:Insomnia is a side effect of his medications, which he's forgotten to take in all the excitement. Next day, his heart condition kicks in and gives everyone a scare]].
312** For a timid introvert, Hanako makes some subtly brave choices through her entire route that go against her initial impression[[note]] the very first is that she chooses to sit next to a stranger who recently spooked her in the library when she could sit next to her friend. Most important of all them is she tells him about the most traumatic event in her life (that she hasn't even told ''her only friend Lilly'') in public, purely because Lilly told her about Hisao's condition against his will; she refuses Hisao's attempt to spare her the same experience. Another would her be trying to do group work with Hisao despite being anxious around people such as Shizune and Misha and suffering a panic attack.[[/note]]. [[spoiler: These little hints that are missed by Hisao show that she is slowly making progress in dealing with her trauma, and that she's reaching out under her own power. Ignoring them and treating her like a disabled girl that can't handle her own life is what lands Hisao in the Bad End]].
313** During Hanako's route, [[spoiler:while they're playing pool, Hisao flat out says to Hanako that he wants to protect her. She seems impassive and gets back to the game, before sheepishly telling Hisao that she's here for him too. It's the first clue that Hisao's white knight tendencies might not be what's best for her.]]
314** [[spoiler:In that same scene, Hisao gets distracted by Hanako's reaction to his DeclarationOfProtection and accidentally pockets the eight ball, which very subtly shows that Hisao focusing solely on Hanako's needs instead of addressing his own isn't good]].
315** It's rather subtle but during Hanako's neutral ending, [[spoiler: notice how Hanako seems unhappy at the idea that nothing will change when Hisao mentions that if'll be as if Lily never left, before Hanako agrees to play chess with Hisao, with the narration showing Hisao's blithe acceptance that nothing will ever change. This implies that their relationship had made no meaningful progress and will eventually stagnate if it hasn't already.]]
316** During Shizune's route, [[spoiler:when Hisao is first discussing the idea of learning sign language with Misha, he casually mentions how good it would be to not have to rely on her to communicate with Shizune anymore. This leads to a brief, awkward silence from Misha. This is the first indicator that she might have some reservations about Hisao and Shizune becoming closer]].
317** During Act 1, Shizune will scold Rin for [[spoiler:sleeping on the tables in the art room (in a literal sense), saying that she is doing disgraceful things with school property. If you take Shizune's path and get the GoodEnding, [[HypocriticalHumor you will end up doing some disgraceful acts of your own in the Student Council room]]]].
318* FormFittingWardrobe: The standard buttoned shirt for the girls' version of the Yamuku Academy uniform seems very tailored and clingy, sticking to the countours of the abdomen and breasts. The skirts can be clingy too. Some of the sprites and [=CGs=] emphasize the clingy clothes more than others.
319* FourTemperamentEnsemble:
320** The main five girls fit very well into this trope's five-temperament variant. Their respective FatalFlaw is also always directly related:
321*** Shizune is Choleric: hardworking; ambitious, competitive, confrontational, craves domination ([[spoiler:[[BrainsAndBondage in more ways than one]]]])... and [[LonelyAtTheTop avoided by the entire school]] for this very reason. Her only friend (besides Hisao in her route) is also her [[YesMan Yes Girl]], [[spoiler: with an unrequited love for her]].
322*** Emi is Sanguine: she exemplifies the GenkiGirl trope, and shows both some humbling determination and a cheerful, energetic persona in everything she does. [[spoiler:She's also a StepfordSmiler who avoid meaningful relationships so as to not get hurt, and refuse any kind of help, preferring instead to pretend against all evidence that everything is fine]].
323*** Lilly is Phlegmatic: she maintains her composure in every situation and presents to the world the facade of a serene, gentle ProperLady. [[spoiler:This also means that she avoid conflicts at any cost, even if it means ignoring what she ''truly'' wants; and Hisao, not knowing any better, does not pick up on this until it's (almost) too late]].
324*** Hanako is Melancholic: extremely shy and with very few friends, [[spoiler:yet she resents this anxiety and the dependent relationship she has with Lilly and Hisao]].
325*** Rin is Eclectic: [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} passionate yet without social skills, creative yet with little obvious direction]], [[spoiler:she suffers from her difficulty at being understood, and, in her own route, is ready to go on a path of self-destruction for the sake of art]].
326** The staff at Yamaku is another example: Nurse is Sanguine, Mutou is Phlegmatic, Yuuko is Melancholic, and Nomiya is Choleric.
327* {{Freeware Game|s}}
328* FreezeFrameBonus: In Hanako's Act 2 opening video, during the segment with people rushing all around her, a sharp-eyed viewer may spot that Hisao was standing there the whole time.
329* FunTShirt: Misha's hilariously out of place "Bush/Cheney 2004" T-shirt in Shizune's route.
330* GayngstInducedSuicide: In the alpha version Misha falls into a depression and kills herself by standing in front of a car. The alpha is incomplete, as many of the arcs were vastly rewritten and it was accidentally leaked, but there's no apparent way to stop this. She dies in both the bad ''and'' good endings.
331* GetOut:
332** In [[spoiler:Hanako's Bad Ending, she screams at Hisao to get out of her room, and by extension, her life]].
333** In Emi's route, [[spoiler:Emi kicks Hisao out of her house in Act 3 after thinking he was intentionally invading her privacy]].
334** Inverted in [[spoiler:Rin's route, in the sense that she asks Hisao to get out of his own room, and when Hisao points this out, she leaves]].
335*** [[spoiler:Also played straight in the studio during "Shards of Ire", with both scenes resembling each other a lot, where Hisao's behaviour makes the difference]].
336** Hisao can do this to Shizune and Misha when they ask about his pills in Act 1, [[spoiler:but will get the bad ending if he does]].
337* GladToBeAliveSex: More or less what the first H scene in [[spoiler:Lilly's route]] boils down to, after [[spoiler:Hisao has a heart murmur. For Lilly it's more a case of "Glad You're Alive" sex]].
338** Arguably part of the reason of the last H scene in [[spoiler:Emi's route, where Emi and Hisao have sex after an emotional scene visiting her father's grave, and Emi having worked through her fear of losing people]].
339* GuideDangIt: Getting to "Slow Recovery" for OneHundredPercentCompletion requires pursuing [[spoiler:Shizune]] before making a choice critical to unlocking [[spoiler:Emi's]] route. Those seeking out either of their routes are unlikely to do anything that would put them toward the other.
340* GuiltBasedGaming: When you choose to quit the game while playing, a window with a picture of a chibified, sad-looking Hanako pops up asking if you really want to do that. The question itself is pretty normal, but the implication is "You wouldn't really make Hanako cry by quitting, would you?". And it's worse when you're reading Hanako's route.
341** Similarly, when you choose to return to the main menu, the window will have a picture of a frowning Shizune. Again, the question is normal, but it implies "Look, Shizune is so like judging you for 'quitting', do you want to disappoint her even further?".
342** Some ''players'' report feeling guilty if they play another path after getting the "good ending" with their favorite girl, because they'd be ''cheating on her'', plus her problems wouldn't get solved. Similarly, others are hesitant to intentionally get the bad endings, even when it's required for OneHundredPercentCompletion.
343* HamToHamCombat: Jigoro and Misha in Shizune's route.
344* HandicappedBadass: Emi's ability to run despite having no legs, Rin's ability to paint despite having no hands, Shizune's ability to administrate an effective (if dictatorial) student body despite her deafness, Lilly's perseverance toward studying English despite her blindness, and Hanako's (eventual) ability to open up to people despite her burn marks all qualify the girls as badasses.
345* HandyFeet (Skilled Feet): Rin has no arms, so she's learned to do most things with her feet.
346* HeadDesk: A non-comedic version occurs in Rin's route, when, [[spoiler:after a heated argument with her in his room]], Hisao beats his head against the wall until it hurts.
347* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Hanako was the SoleSurvivor of the Ikezawa family because [[MamaBear her mother pulled this]], covering her with her own body when they were trapped in the fatal fire that consumed their home]].
348* HiddenDepths: Yuuko isn't only endearingly awkward, but she can be a reliable adult, giving wise advice.
349** Also, go down any girl's route, and you shall become pleasantly (or in some cases painfully) suprised to learn that there is much more to her than what she first seems.
350** Misha in Shizune's route. [[spoiler:She's much less happy than she seems, as a result of unrequited love for Shizune]]. Also, despite being BookDumb, she is incredibly proficient in sign language.
351* HidingTheHandicap: Hisao doesn't wear any sort of identifier that indicates his heart condition, and this option isn't even discussed in the game (which is kinda important if, ya know, his heart condition acts up outside of school). However, the trope is inverted since Hisao feels self-conscious for not having a visible disability.
352* HopeSpot: [[spoiler:Played Straight, and then Subverted]] in Lilly's path: [[spoiler:After "Farewell", the final scene of the Bad Ending, in which Lilly leaves for Iverness, never to return, Hisao goes on a RaceForYourLove scene, where he desperately chases down Lilly and Akira in the hopes of seeing them one last time. He makes it all the way to the airport, and [[{{Determinator}} pushes through the arising heart problems]] as he tracks them down. He finally sees them, only to collapse sheer meters away from them, unable to go on. [[TearJerker/KatawaShoujo The resulting scene is horrendously heart-wrenching]], especially since Hisao truly believes that he is actually going to die there and then without ever seeing Lilly again. This is set up as a ''major'' HopeSpot, but it is thankfully subverted when it's revealed that his efforts were not for naught as Lilly decides to stay in Japan with Hisao]].
353* HotForTeacher: During Lilly's route, on their first date, Lilly confesses to Hisao [[spoiler:that she used to have a crush on a teacher, whom was also the reason she took up English as a future career, but she had to change to Yamaku and couldn't reveal her feelings towards him, something she regretted. She even says that she rejected all the confessions she received because of him]].
354* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: Rin, after saying "It's the least a gentleman can do."
355* IdealizedSex: Averted. Sex is portrayed very realistically: sometimes it's pretty good, sometimes it's... not, and it seriously depends on the circumstances and the persons. Emi's [[spoiler:anal]] sex scene and Lilly's [[spoiler:bath]] sex scene are notable examples. Similarly in Lilly's route, [[spoiler:the third H-scene is interrupted when Hisao suffers a serious heart attack and collapses]].
356** [[spoiler:Rin, Hanako, and Misha]] all have sex scenes that are deliberately awkward or uncomfortable -- [[FanDisservice and to the reader, as well]].
357** The closest to playing this straight is [[spoiler: Shizune]]'s scenes -- but there are still some "bumps" in the two sexual encounters (like [[spoiler: Hisao being uncomfortable at first with light bondage]] in the first or [[spoiler: Hisao falling off a desk]] in the second). And not to mention [[spoiler: if you make Hisao do it with Misha, you lose out on the second Shizune sex ''and'' you get the Bad Ending]].
358* IdiotBall: Hoo, boy. If you're on route to the bad ending in Hanako's route, "Missteps" is a painful scene to watch as Hisao grips the idiot ball with industrial strength, [[spoiler: making Hanako uncomfortable with his pushiness and being oblivious to her discomfort by making alternating between trying to coerce her into leaving her room and making things about himself until he accidently hits Hanako's RageBreakingPoint.]]
359* IfItsYouItsOkay
360* IKEAErotica: used in two routes, for different reasons.
361** In [[spoiler:Hanako's]] case, [[spoiler:it's to highlight their focus on the physical aspect, and the uncertainty they have over their feelings for each other. Neither of them seems to enjoy it very much (especially Hanako, whose scar tissue limits her flexibility), and they are painfully awkward in each other's presence the next morning]].
362** In [[spoiler:Shizune's]] route, [[spoiler:if you choose to comfort Misha, it's to emphasize the wrongness of Hisao and Misha's behavior through their mechanical and passionless act, especially in contrast to the previous sex scene with Shizune. Both are overcome by guilt afterwards, and it leads to the Bad End]].
363* ImprobablyFemaleCast: 60% of the student body and the vast majority of the plot-relevant students beside Hisao are female.
364** Lampshaded by Hisao early on though: "Seems that only the girls around here are sociable.".
365** Lampshaded by [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Kenji]], [[ConspiracyTheorist who is convinced that Yamaku will be one of the first battlegrounds when the feminist armies begin their conquest of the world]].
366* ImNotDoingThatAgain: Both Emi and Hisao are of this opinion after [[spoiler:experimenting with anal sex]].
367* InVinoVeritas: Enough single malt leads to Kenji deciding he's ready to troll for women, and Hisao thinking that Kenji's misogynist theories kind of make sense.
368** In Hanako's route, Hanako gets very drunk [[spoiler:at her birthday party]] and seems more affectionate towards Hisao than usual [[spoiler:(she hugs him for the first and only time)]]. Subverted later when it turns out [[spoiler:she actually resents him (and Lilly) for coddling her too much. Double-subverted in the Good Ending, in which she decides she really does like Hisao after all, since he's learning to cut back on his white knighting, and also tells Hisao of her appreciation for Lilly]].
369* IndirectKiss: [[spoiler:On Rin's route, Hisao and Rin share several cigarettes while she's in her apartment. Hisao even mentions that these indirect kisses are the only way they make contact at the moment]].
370* InelegantBlubbering: Happens in several routes, but most significantly at the end of [[spoiler:Hanako's, when she and Hisao break down in each others' arms]]. (This scene is also likely to cause this in the reader, although for [[TearsOfJoy somewhat]] [[ManlyTears different]] reasons.)
371** Also in [[spoiler:Rin's good ending]], when she [[spoiler:finally manages to explain her feelings and thoughts to Hisao after the whole incident in the gallery and the fight with Nomiya]].
372*** If you paid attention to all the small clues along the whole story, including the sad ending (the one where [[spoiler:Rin reveals that she decided to accept the offer to take arts college]]) and specially [[spoiler:Sae Saionji's story about her late husband]], you would know that taking that chance would have made her fall in [[DrivenToSuicide an ending a lot worse than what you see in-game]]...
373** And again in [[spoiler:Emi's good ending]], when she breaks down and cries into Hisao's chest while telling him [[spoiler:about her father's death and her related insecurities]].
374* InformedFlaw:
375** Hisao's bird sketch that he creates during Rin's route is actually pretty decent.
376** Hisao claims during Lily's route that he tends to be a loner. Lily disagrees with this assertion, and Hisao doesn't show any real loner tendencies during any of the other routes. If the bad endings are any indication, it's Hisao's tendency to [[{{Irony}} try and form bonds with others that tend to go badly for him.]]
377* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: Defied. As Hisao says of Emi during her (and Rin's) route:
378--> '''Hisao''': I don't mention how much more impressive her performance is given her lack of legs. I figure she knows that already. Besides, it seems like it would take away from her efforts, somehow.
379** Also discussed by Mr. Nomiya, the art teacher, during Rin's route. He knows it would be inappropriate to draw attention to Rin's lack of arms, but he knows it will come up anyway, so it's best to spin it as something that makes her art even more of an achievement. And it can't hurt if it helps sell a painting or two...
380* InsistentTerminology: [[spoiler:Shizune and Lilly]] object to their [[BigFancyHouse houses]] being called "mansion(s)". Despite the fact that one of them has trouble remembering how many guest rooms their house has.
381* InspiredBy: The game's concept started as [[https://web.archive.org/web/20181006200107/shimmie.katawa-shoujo.com/post/view/1 a sketch]] on the last page of a {{doujin}} by the artist RAITA. It became memetic on [[ImageBoards 4chan]] and the project grew from there.
382* IntentionallyAwkwardTitle: "Disability" isn't really an accurate translation of "katawa"; "crippled" or even "deformed" is closer, and the term is [[UsefulNotes/{{Kotobagari}} banned by most broadcasters and publishers]]. The developers were well aware of this, but did not change it for multiple reasons.
383* InterruptedIntimacy: [[spoiler:On Emi's route, Rin at one point walks in on Emi and Hisao right after they've finished, [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} requesting to use Emi's window to look at a specific cloud]]. She doesn't appear to notice that Hisao and Emi are both naked, and leaves when Emi politely asks her for some alone time]].
384* IronicEcho: In Emi's route, "These things happen." [[spoiler:It was Emi's philosophy for her father's death and her accident, and how she chose to live her life: bad things happen, so live for the moment and don't get close to anyone. As she confesses that she was glad she met Hisao and that they fell in love, he responds with the same words, because good things happen, too]].
385* IronicName: Lilly's [[TheArtifact seeing-eye dog]] was named Niji, Japanese for "rainbow", which she can't sense in any way.
386* {{Irony}}: At the end of [[spoiler: Hanako's good route, Hisao notes that he couldn't imagine being with anyone else when he embraces her in the park]].
387* ItsAWonderfulFailure: Unable to get onto any girl's route before the festival? Looks like you get to spend your festival time drinking on the roof with Kenji. [[spoiler:And then [[BadEnd you fall off the roof and die]]]]. Go pick a girl, dumbass!
388* {{Jerkass}}: [[spoiler:Shizune's father]] from the get-go. Although he resembles the BumblingDad in appearance and initial impression, his interactions with Hisao and the main cast are somewhat difficult to read without feeling the urge to punch him in the face. Apart from the fact he is a rich and influencial businessman, there is no real explanation given that sheds light on his verbally assaulting, hypocritical and arrogant manner of speech.
389** HeManWomanHater Kenji Setou is one as well -- a lot!
390** The art teacher, Nomiya, borders on this as well; though he had good intentions, he urges Rin to display her art at an exhibit and pushes her to create more paintings [[spoiler:to the point that she completely shuts herself out from the outside world]], completely ignoring the possible consequences this has on her health. He also never seems to notice that she actually ''doesn't'' want all the attention. [[spoiler:He also blows up at Rin if she runs from the art exhibition, feeling as though his efforts had gone to waste]].
391** If you still have not played Shizune's Route, she can be seen like this, due to her choleric personality. Especially during Act 1. [[spoiler:Her constant and stubborn attempts to drag Hisao into the Student Council and the way she sometimes scold other students, even poor Hanako, can almost be seen as bullying]]. In her route, it's revealed that [[spoiler: the reason people left the Student Council is because they just couldn't take her, like Lilly, for just an example]].
392** One girl without a name or a sprite who appears in Lilly's route. If Hisao chooses to ask about Hanako, the girl will talk about her contemptuously before walking away, while if he does not, the girl will rudely walk off.
393* KidsAreCruel: One of the reasons Hanako has such a withdrawn personality is that [[spoiler:she was bullied at school after having half of her body scarred by the fire that killed her family. The worst part? Her bullies used to be her best friends. No wonder she has such a difficult time letting people close]].
394* LampshadeHanging: Fairly early into the game, [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Kenji]] rants to Hisao, questioning the existence of all the incredibly cute girls in their disabled school. Hisao himself notes that all the friendly students are girls, as a brief dismissal of the fact that he never talks to any of the boys his age at the school besides Kenji (and he only talks to Kenji because [[CharacterFilibuster he has no choice]]).
395* LaserGuidedKarma: Averted much more often than not (which is interesting in itself, because even good Visual Novels tend to invoke this trope way too often), but [[spoiler:Act 1's bad ending and Lilly's entire path are this. Following Lilly's path, Hisao manages to pull a good end only if ''he was completely open to Lilly on three separate occasions'' during the story - and his way of doing so isn't related to any of those occasions. Also an interesting variation in Shizune's story, where a single bad act (which can be romance-ruiner in itself so very much) committed by Hisao doesn't, in fact, have any direct grave consequences, but another practically unrelated chain of events appear and eventually lead to bad ending]].
396** Hanako's bad ending has Hisao on the receiving end of this. [[spoiler:His attempts to white knight Hanako by coercing her into leaving her room and not treating her like a multi-faceted person who is capable of dealing with her own issues ends up triggering Hanako's RageBreakingPoint, ensuring that she will now hate him for his poor choices.]]
397* LargeHam:
398** [[spoiler:Shizune's dad]], who shouts every time he speaks, part of how he is a JerkAss to everyone.
399** Kenji can act this way during his rants.
400** Nomiya, who often gets excited about art [[spoiler:and gets extremely angry with Rin near the end of her route, shouting at the top of his lungs toward the end]].
401* LeadYouCanRelateTo: In a school for people with disabilities, the protagonist is a formerly "normal" boy with an "invisible" handicap.
402* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Like many visual novels, seeing everything requires a lot of restarting and jumping between saves to get to all the parts of all the routes. And most of the routes include a joking reference to a time machine.
403* {{Leitmotif}}: Numerous characters have them.
404* LikeBrotherAndSister: Akira and Hideaki. [[spoiler:Subverted because they're cousins]].
405* LimitedWardrobe: The whole cast has only their school uniform and one set of casual clothes. They will wear the uniform outside of school, and the same outfit on consecutive days. This is to limit the number of sprites that had to be drawn.
406** Hisao's casual clothes will always be the set of khaki pants, a button down shirt and a blue argyle sweater vest.
407** Emi, aside of her normal and PE uniform, wears a small yellow short sleeves shirt with a green thin braces blouse and brown short pants.
408** Hanako's casual clothes is a nice one: a denim jacket over a pale pink blouse, black tight pants and her black cap.
409** Lilly will be shown wearing a peach off-the-shoulder sweater and a long tan skirt.
410** For Rin, this is even Lampshaded by Hisao during her art gallery exhibition, for she is always wearing the male school uniform, aside from the blue work overalls she wears while she's working on her paintings at Sae's studio.
411** Shizune wears a white and black thin braces blouse and a black skirt with a red belt
412** Misha wears that funny pink blouse of "Bush Cheney 2004" and a brown skirt.
413** Kenji will always wear the whole school uniform, along his well known red and yellow stripes scarf, weird, if you remember that the main events of the game at any route occur during late spring and the whole summer.
414** The Yamaku staff: the Nurse, Mutou, Yuuko [[spoiler:(aside of her Chinese-styled waitress uniform)]] and Nomiya will always be shown with the same clothes.
415** Akira and her black with white stripes suit.
416** Hideaki and his weird feminine look.
417** Jigoro and his blue with white flowers shirt, black pants and... his katana.
418** [[spoiler:Meiko, Emi's mom]], and her orange dress with white flowers and her long sleeves black shirt.
419** Sae and her black suit.
420* LockerMail: Discussed at the very beginning of the story. As Hisao waits to meet someone who slipped a note into his math book during class, he notes that he prefers "the letter in the locker", but admits that the sender's method "shows a bit of initiative".
421* LonelyBachelorPad: [[ShrinkingViolet Hanako]] [[BreakTheCutie Ikezawa]]. Even if Yamaku's rules and rooms tend to be minimalist, Hisao comments on the heavy ambience of her room.
422* LonelyPianoPiece: The most common theme that [=BGMs=] share.
423** The most notable example is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKx2hXhJz-s "Wiosna"]], meaning 'Spring' [[BilingualBonus in Polish]]. A simple piece that plays in the main menu, played by a single piano, and some sort of guitar. What we get is a calming and subdued piece that is lonely and wistful, nostalgic and quaint; a piece that fills the heart with melancholic satisfaction, especially after completing a route.
424* LoveConfession: One of these goes horribly wrong at the very start of the game before Hisao can even answer, and sets the entire story into motion.
425** A rejected one by [[spoiler:Misha to Shizune]] emotionally scars the former, who tries to hide it, while said emotional scars help set up the main conflict in the latter's route.
426** Another interesting take on this trope is on Rin's route, where [[spoiler:she appears to initially reject Hisao]]. Of course, her feelings are more complicated than they initially appear.
427* LowCountGag: Hisao is invited by Shizune and Misha to join the student council. He asks to meet the rest of the members, but Misha and Shizune keep brushing off the request. He quickly figures out why. Shizune's bossy behavior combined with Misha's "cloudcuckoolander" behavior drove everyone else to quit. Misha and Shizune are the entire student council.
428* LukeIAmYourFather: It turns out that [[spoiler:Lilly and Shizune]] are actually first cousins[[note]][[spoiler:Lilly's father and Shizune's mother are siblings, [[WordOfGod as Suriko has revealed. What Hideaki and Akira say about their respective fathers being blood-brothers is a typo]].]][[/note]]. Even though they know that already, Hisao doesn't and is quite surprised when he finds out.
429[[/folder]]
430
431[[folder: M-R]]
432* TheMafia[=/=]{{Yakuza}}: Kenji insists Lilly is with them after seeing her with Akira, her sister.
433* MaybeEverAfter:
434** [[spoiler:Shizune's]] Good Ending is often seen as that, [[spoiler:as Shizune, Hisao and Misha go their separate ways but promise to reunite]]. [[spoiler:Rin's]] can be too for some people, although to a much lesser extent.
435** The devs have stated that the universal epilogue for each of the good endings is "And they lived happily ever after" even though we may not see it.
436* MadeMyselfSad: Emi does this a few times by mentioning [[spoiler:her dead father]].
437* MarriedToTheJob: Art teacher Nomiya's old friend (the curator Sae's husband) had the exact same talent and drive as Rin, often shutting off all relations to the outside world to focus on his art, [[spoiler:but ended up committing suicide, a foreshadowing of what could very well happen to Rin]].
438* MediumAwareness: ''Possibly'' referenced (or spoofed) in the bad end for Act 1. During one of his rants, Kenji complains about the fact that he, unlike Hisao, has no possibility of making choices in his life, indirectly referencing the visual novel's multiple choice system.
439* MeetCute: Lampshaded when you first [[CrashIntoHello run into]] Emi - the name of one version of that particular scene is ''literally'' "Meet Cute".
440* {{Mentor}}: Lilly and Emi on their (and Hanako's) route, for Hisao.
441* MenDontCry: Completely, utterly, unabashedly averted [[spoiler:in Hanako's good ending, where she and Hisao completely break down in each other's arms and admit how little they really understand each other, but are still in love]].
442** Also implied to happen in [[spoiler:Lilly's good ending]], and at one point early in [[spoiler:Rin's route when he "let(s) tears roll down (his) cheeks and (cries) for his condition for the first and only time]].
443*** Meta: Many of the (mostly male) players of the game admit to anything from ManlyTears to [[InelegantBlubbering crying like a baby]].
444* MistakenMessage: Hisao sometimes can't tell if Misha is speaking for herself or Shizune. This tends to confuse a lot of first-time players too.
445** One instance that briefly confused ''Misha herself'' resulted in the [[MemeticMutation classic line]] "Wait, '''I'm''' Misha..."
446** Hisao gets this sometimes by people in-story.
447-->'''Shizune''': [Hisao, is he saying something insulting? Tell him not to insult my friends!]
448-->'''Hisao''': Don't insult my friends.
449-->'''Jigoro''': Which one of you is talking?
450-->'''Hisao''': Both of us. I agree with her.
451** This can occur at any choice a player has to make due to the fact that what the option says and what Hisao actually says are almost always different. One example occurs rather early in the first act, where Hisao must either [[spoiler:side with Shizune or Lilly over student council activities, the option to not get involved instead ends up insulting Lilly (by virtue of Hisao seemingly not challenging Shizune's accusations toward her), whereas the option to take Lilly's side instead has Hisao defending himself and Lilly coming to his aid]].
452* MoeAnthropomorphism: A MemeticMutation example in [[https://web.archive.org/web/20180926205208/shimmie.katawa-shoujo.com/post/view/2001 Timewarp-tan]], personification of a... screen-moving function.
453* MoodWhiplash: Coming after a particularly emotional scene (and usually INTO another), the light, upbeat music of the scene transition heart can definitely feel this way.
454* MultinationalTeam: Four Leaf Studios is a great meta-example of the trope.
455* MultipleDemographicAppeal: As a BishoujoGenre {{Eroge}}, Katawa Shoujo is directed towards straight men (and to a lesser extent due to no female Hisao option, women attracted to other women), but has not only a lot of straight as well as gay and bi female fans, but also numerous readers who were interested to see its take on disability. The release of the full version brought in a lot of fans who wouldn't have normally played an {{eroge}}.
456* MsFanservice: While you do see each of the girls nude at one point or another, Shizune might fit this. She's the only character to get a random {{panty shot}} during the entirety of the game, her casual outfit (a black-and-white summer dress with a nice cleavage) is the most revealing, she has a larger bust than the most of the girls, and [[spoiler:her second sex scene is perhaps one of the most graphic in the game. You can tell the artist had fun drawing that.]]
457** Add to the mix [[spoiler:the dark, lacy underwear she wears in that scene, and the impression of [[BrainsAndBondage self-confidence and kinkiness]] she gives in ''both'' scenes - the first time, in the guest room of her house, she ''didn't lock'' the door, the second time, they make out in the student council room and only after a while they realize they have ''forgotten to lock the door'', again]].
458*** [[spoiler:Also, during that same scene, she gives the player a hint that they also had sex on the school roof sometime back]].
459** Lilly is not behind at all: Her half foreign look, complete with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Her bust is not exactly small, in fact, it looks to be as big as Shizune's. Also her [[spoiler:first sex scene with Hisao occurs just minutes after her LoveConfession to him]], and let's not forget that they [[spoiler:have sex again just a scene later when Hisao is taking a bath - and just before they had to leave to the train station to go back to school. Keep in mind that in those two scenes, she's the one who takes the lead in the act; Hisao even notes this on the train ride back]]. And finally [[spoiler:in their third sex scene, she covers Hisao's eyes, but he decides to take a little peak and catches her in the middle of masturbating, which is then followed by his eyes being covered again; although nothing can be seen, it is heavily implied that Hisao makes a move to her so she can give him oral sex. Sadly, he [[MoodWhiplash suddenly has a minor heart attack, so they stop and decide to leave it like that for the time being]]]].
460* MundaneMadeAwesome: Shizune and Lilly's argument comes complete with sound effects, lightning, and dramatic close-ups. And a PantyShot.
461** And in Act Two of Shizune's route, how Shizune and Hisao decide who will get the rare and delicious veal cutlet bread. Surprisingly, it's Shizune, not Misha, who makes it a huge deal!
462-->'''Shizune''': ''(signing)'' There is no reasoning with you. So it looks like there is only one way to settle this: we are going to play for it.
463-->'''Hisao''': ''(speaking)'' Play what?
464-->'''Shizune''': ''(signing)'' The oldest game known to man, upon which the fate of nations has been known to rest: [[spoiler:Rock-Paper-Scissors]].
465** Dreaded anticipation! Inevitable, sudden death in the form of a sheet of paper! The only use of red text in the entire game! Yep. [[spoiler:Teacher's passing the tests back and Hisao didn't do well at all...then again, neither did most of the class]].
466** Yuuko goes about trying to catch the person who's stealing books as though she were in a crime drama.
467** The narrative setup just before [[spoiler: Emi proposes anal sex to Hisao]]:
468--> ''Birds outside stop chirping. The wind dies down. Somewhere, a man is drinking a cup of coffee. He freezes with the cup at his lips.''
469* MyFistForgivesYou: Shizune forgives Hisao for sleeping in class after Misha belts him one.
470* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Hisao has one of these moments while eavesdropping on Nomiya's outburst at Rin after she bails on her exhibit]].
471--> [[spoiler:'''Hisao:''' ''"I felt justified to vent my anger at her face just because... just because I felt it was her fault that I was so frustrated. I was no more justified than the teacher is."'']]
472* MysteryMeat: At one point in Rin's route Hisao refers to the food served at the cafeteria as "fried mystery lumps".
473* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Most of the bad endings leave the girl ''worse'' off compared to her situation if Hisao had just become her friend while dating one of the other girls. In Hanako's route, Hisao [[spoiler:worsens Hanako's problems by making her more dependent on others with his over-protectiveness]], while in Rin's route, he [[spoiler:convinces her to put her art on display, a decision she comes to regret]].
474** This is also most obvious with Hanako [[spoiler:who is even better off on Lilly's route than on her own, due to both Lilly and Hisao focusing on their own relationship, rather than smothering Hanako by over-protecting her. They leave Hanako to her own devices and she makes significant progress on overcoming her issues offscreen]].
475** Making [[spoiler:Rin]] choose what sounds good for her [[spoiler:and her career]] - or even saying the wrong thing to her in her route [[spoiler: are ''heavily'' implied to push her towards eventually ''committing suicide'' after she accepts the scholarship]].
476* NoAntagonist: [[spoiler:Nomiya, Jigoro]] and to a lesser extent [[spoiler:Lilly's parents]] are the closest things that this game can be said to have to villains.
477* NonStandardCharacterDesign: The [[http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130214024943/katawashoujo/images/e/e4/Shopkeep.png owner of the antique shop]] who shows up in Lilly's and Hanako's routes has a more "painted" look to him, rather than the {{animesque}} design of the rest of the characters.
478* NonStandardGameOver: Rin's bad ending "Shreds of Ire" can be considered this, as it is much less developed than other bad endings. It basically tells you that Hisao's relationship with Rin is now over and abruptly cuts to the credits.
479* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. While Hisao and Rinare hanging out at Rin's mural during "Clouds in my Head", Rin starts fidgeting and says she has to find Emi. Hisao offers his help and Rin tries to tell him to stay, however she is adamant to find Emi. Finally she just admits her period started and she does not know Hisao well enough for him to help with that. Hisao blushes and concedes to stay.
480* NoSocialSkills: Rin, although this isn't touched upon until later in her route.
481* NostalgicMusicbox: The present you get for Lilly. [[spoiler:It and its tune become a two-frame ChekhovsGun in Lilly's Good End]].
482* NotSoAboveItAll: Hisao wonders how lonely Hanako would have to be to come up with a game that involves stepping on the right tiles on the floor. In the very next line, he finds himself stepping only on the darker tiles.
483* NotSoDifferentRemark: While Hisao will inevitably have whoever he's seeing rub off on him, the one where it's really noticeable is [[spoiler:in Hanako's route, where Hisao eventually realizes he's similar to Hanako in that he's let his disability (and the event that made him disabled) define his whole being and is extremely unwilling to open up to people about it, and has in addition lost sight of any meaningful future for himself. Furthermore, his [[DeclarationOfprotection treatment of Hanako]] has been his way to run away from that fact, by doting on someone else instead of trying to face up to his own problems]].
484** Played for laughs in Shizune's route, where Hisao and Shizune play RockPaperScissors and tie ''sixteen times'' before finally deciding to [[TakeAThirdOption split the roll they were arguing over in half]]. Even before it's resolved there are a few points when Hisao thinks something then Shizune says it.
485** On a more serious note, he realizes that [[spoiler:while he was depressed, he was also pushing away his old friends and Iwanako]].
486** Hisao has this thought about Lilly and Shizune [[spoiler:after they reconcile]] in Lilly's route.
487-->'''Hisao''': Competitive until the last. Maybe Lilly and Shizune aren't so different, after all.
488* ObfuscatingDisability: Defied in Emi's route. She absolutely refuses to be seen in a wheelchair despite her disability, and will painstakingly wear her legs if she has to step outside.
489* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: The concept is realistically subverted with [[spoiler:Yuuko: she may study ancient Greek history at university and in her free time, but that doesn't make her an instant expert on any other academic subject, or even any other kind of history - she has no idea how to help Hisao with his homework about the Japanese Edo period]]. Sciences are narrow like that.
490** On the other hand, the science teacher seems to teach several different branches of science, including physics and chemistry. This is a mild example, since it's not unusual for a high school teacher to teach multiple disciplines in a single science class.
491* PaintingTheMedium: Character portraits normally hang out near the middle of the screen and vanish when they exit a scene. ShrinkingViolet Hanako, however, spends her early appearances standing right near the edge of the screen and then physically slinking off-screen. One scene even opens with her portrait exiting stage-right while the screen is still fading in.
492* PassiveAggressiveKombat: Lilly and Shizune have a pretty strong feud going on between them, but both are well-bred, upper-class girls who can't be seen tearing each other's hair out or shouting curse words at each other. (which is pretty much impossible for Shizune anyway) Their solution? Remain restrained and polite while cranking the passive-aggressiveness up to eleven. The result is somewhat surreal. You'd almost wish they'd start scratching each other.
493** Made ''completely'' surreal when you realize they can't even interact with each other directly (except through touch); Shizune is deaf-mute and can't read lips, Lilly is blind and can't sign. Their passive-aggressiveness is done through ''intermediaries''.
494* PersonalityBloodTypes: The girls' blood types, listed in the official website, match their personalities... for the most part.
495* PornWithPlot: The full game has the option to skip the H-scenes. It is still recommended for +18 though, also because the option censors the sex, but not some instances of nudity. You will miss important plot and character development if you skip the H-scenes, however.
496* PrecisionFStrike:
497** Foul language is almost nonexistent in the game, save for whenever Kenji gives one of his heated rants or in [[SirSwearsalot Emi]]'s route. However, [[spoiler:Lilly]] swears exactly ''once'' in her entire route, and it's a shock when she does.
498*** Notably, her sudden snap is a good {{foreshadowing}} of the coming conflict in the route.
499** During [[spoiler:Emi]]'s path, Hisao, feeling bitter about their relationship, once thinks of them as "friends who happen to fuck".
500** One of the few times Hisao actually utters profanity out loud is when he yells "GODDAMMIT!" after Kenji runs into him, which is potentially life-threatening due to his condition. He also uses "Bullshit" in a heated argument with Rin late in her route.
501** Emi swears a whole awful lot, and without any pause or shame, quite casually calling people "asshole" including the school nurse. This contrasts with her cute, innocent appearance. One instance in which it's used to emphasize a point is when it occurs to her that because she [[spoiler:is confined to a wheelchair]], she will not be able to run, which is worse than it sounds because [[spoiler:running is her way of forcing her nightmares from her mind]].
502-->'''Emi''': Aw shit...
503** Rin's comment about telling [[spoiler:Emi]] to "sod off" when she came to check up on Rin once in her route comes as a somewhat mild (compared to the other examples, but still) surprise.
504** [[spoiler:Nomiya:]] "Then tell me, why... why... '''''WHY DID WE GO THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE IF IT AMOUNTS TO A MOSQUITO'S SHIT?'''''" [[spoiler:Spoken after Rin abandons her art exhibit. Going from Nomiya's cheerful (if somewhat pressuring at times) personality to someone who Hisao accurately describes as having "blown a fuse" doesn't exactly come out of nowhere, considering that he is rather upset after Rin leaves and when he confronts Hisao in the hallway, but the fact that after all he'd invested into Rin, having him become more and more irate with each of Rin's explanations of why she left before declaring her future and her career as an artist to both be doomed to fail, followed by blowing up at her ''definitely'' comes as a surprise]].
505* ProductPlacement: Mentioned in an April Fool's Day announcement, which would insert "sponsored lines" at random intervals, and subscribers could turn them off.
506* ProfessionalsDoItOnDesks: Hisao and Shizune aren't exactly professionals, but they are members of the school council (with Shizune as the president and the class representative), and their second sex scene takes places in the council room itself the night before they step down.
507* QueerFlowers: Lilly and Hanako are very close. Lilly was Hanako's only friend for years, and Hanako effectively idolizes Lilly. Meanwhile, Lilly displays a level of comforting warmth around Hanako that surpasses the motherly instincts she has around other students. The two of them get a SleepCute moment on a train. To top it off, during Lilly's route when she explains to Hanako that she's in a relationship with Hisao, Hanako delivers an "IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy" speech.
508* RaceForYourLove: [[spoiler:Lilly's ending]]. Made even more desperate by Hisao's arrythmia acting up [[spoiler:at the worst possible moment in the airport]]. In the end [[spoiler:he can't catch her, and succumbs to a heart attack - but awakens in the hospital to find Lilly by his bedside]].
509** Done in a downplayed version in the scene "Instant Replay" in Emi's route, [[spoiler:being one of two ways into her "good" ending. Made much less dramatic by Hisao's training regimen, which makes him able to catch up while Emi is still warming up without any heart problems]].
510* RealPlaceBackground: The exterior of Yamaku is better known as [[https://www.google.com/search?q=brown%20university&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=h7cLT_aSIIrL0QGm6pD8BQ&biw=1366&bih=640&sei=ircLT9zZCuPL0QGQitnQBQ Brown University]].
511* ReasonableAuthorityFigure:
512** Hisao's homeroom and science teacher, Akio Mutou. Even if [[AbsentMindedProfessor he seems out of it at times]], he doesn't give his students a terribly hard time in his class if they have certain conditions, and will often give Hisao useful advice and help him out of tough spots. [[spoiler:One example of this is him knowing exactly how to handle the situation with a minimum of complications when Hanako has a severe panic attack in the middle of class during her route]]. [[DoubleSubverted On the other hand, for much of Hanako's route, Hisao doesn't recognize Mutou as such]], seeing his inaction in the face of Hanako's truancy as proof of negligence.
513** He also provides important advice in [[spoiler:Emi's route, with a discussion about quarks that seems to be patently designed to give Hisao a EurekaMoment. If you take Mutou's advice, Hisao even remarks later on how amazingly like a quark Emi is]].
514** Sae, the art gallery curator, who agreed to have Rin put her art up for an exhibition. She's not as pushy and emotional as Rin's art teacher, and let Rin [[spoiler:run away from the gallery]], knowing she felt conflicted and scared, and that the exhibit itself would not be hurt by such a problem. [[spoiler:This is because Rin reminds her of her late husband, who committed suicide when he shut himself off from everything to paint]].
515* RecordNeedleScratch: Happens to the game's introspective "Friendship" track during a scene on Shizune's route where Kenji removes his glasses and says something ''almost'' sensible... before reminding everyone that he's still [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Kenji]] and putting them back on.
516* RedFilterOfDoom: Throbs on and off when Hisao's arrythmia is acting up.
517* RedOniBlueOni: Blue-eyed Lilly Satou is refined, gentle, composed, and elegant . Red-eyed [[spoiler:Akira Satou]], by contrast, is rough, unrefined, and rather more direct, not to mention being willing to bring [[spoiler:alcohol for the under-age Hisao, Hanako, and Lilly at Hanako's birthday party]]. Hisao briefly mentally reflects in Hanako's route that actually meeting her doesn't quite match his mental image about how she would be like from the brief snippets he had gotten by way of description before.
518* RedHerring:
519** The animated intro to Shizune's route makes it very clear that [[spoiler:Shizune-Hisao-Misha is going to be a problematic and painful love triangle. Guess Misha has a crush on Hisao after all]]... Nope. [[spoiler:She loves ''Shizune'', and now that Hisao's became her boyfriend..]].
520** Similarly, Kenji's password in Rin's route, which he gives while mistaking Rin for a boy and inviting her to join his anti-feminist movement: [[spoiler:Honeymuffin]]. It was never used or mentioned in the game again.
521* RefugeInAudacity: Not the game, but some of the fanworks take this route.
522** Some of the game's artists have produced non-canon art that's quite audacious, compared to the source.
523* RelaxOVision: This is how the [[SexyDiscretionShot Sexy Discretion Shots]] are handled with the adult content disabled. The buildup cuts to a pink flash, which then fades to pictures of various things (including a cantaloupe and a chinchilla next to a pile of vegetables).
524** One of the pictures is a plate of shrimp; namely, [[VisualPun prawn]] on a barbecue. [[spoiler:In an unfortunate yet funny coincidence, this can pop up in the sex scene after Hanako shows Hisao all her burn scars]].
525* RightThroughHisPants: Zigzagged. Only some of the sex scenes involve the partners not taking off all their clothes, and when it does happen it's justified.
526** In Hanako's route, the one ero scene is awkward because of both partners' inexperience and anxiety. Hanako takes off everything except her panties and tights, while Hisao gets down to his boxers and tries foreplay to make her more comfortable. When the time actually comes he can't figure out how to remove her tights without tearing them, so he just pulls them down enough to brush her panties aside, and because he's afraid that seeing his erection might scare her he keeps his boxers on and inserts it through his fly.
527** In Shizune's route, the first sex scene takes place at Shizune's home and has both partners fully clothed; Shizune surprises Hisao by tying him to a chair, in which position they can't even take his shirt off, so she simply unzips his pants and takes off her panties for sex while keeping her dress on. Hisao is a little relieved she didn't take his shirt off because he's not quite ready to show her the scar on his chest. Also, because her dad's home, keeping their clothes on could be a precaution against someone walking in on them.
528** The first time Hisao and Emi have sex, their horsing around on her bed turns into a "game" where they're dry humping to see who can make the other blush first. Emi keeps her panties on, while Hisao keeps his pants on, the result being a literal case of JizzedInMyPants. Hilariously, Rin walks in on them without making any kind of fuss. After that, it's implied they do it again without their clothes, and in the two other H-scenes in her route they both get naked.
529* PlayByPostGames: [[Roleplay/KSTheNewGeneration KS: The New Generation]]
530[[/folder]]
531
532[[folder: S-Z]]
533* SceneryPorn: Dear God, yes. Plenty of the [=CGs=] have this in them. Especially [[spoiler:the field in Hokkaido where Lilly confesses to Hisao]].
534* SchmuckBait: [[spoiler:Misha asking for "comfort"]] late in Shizune's route. If you decide to go for it, you end up with Shizune's bad ending as your "reward".
535** Also:
536-->''[In Shizune's route, Act 1]''\
537'''Misha''': Shicchan is holding a 1000-yen note in one hand, Hicchan~! If you guess which one, you can have it! If you don't...
538-->'''Misha''': You're carrying all our books to school~! Right, Shicchan!? Right~!
539-->''She and Shizune exchange nods''
540-->'''Misha''': Okay Hicchan~! Get ready~!
541--> ''GilliganCut''
542-->''Carrying three bags instead of one, I think about the day that's ahead of me. Of us.''
543* SchrodingersGun: Multiple story aspects that should be the same for each path, regardless of Hisao's choices, are somehow different.
544** Shizune's house is in different locations, as it is a short cab ride away in [[spoiler:Lilly's]] path, while it's a long train ride away in [[spoiler:Shizune's]] path.
545** [[spoiler:Iwanako's letter]] has different words for each girl's story, as well as arriving at different times. In some routes, Hisao glosses over most of its contents, while in others, he reads the entire letter.
546** In Hanako's route, Hisao asks the shopkeeper in the antique shop what his gift will cost (and haggles with him), and he doesn't realize he picked a pricey doll for Lilly. But in Lilly's route, the items in the same antique store have price tags; Hisao immediately knows what each thing he looks at costs, including the dolls.
547* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Shizune is doing this to Hisao when she accuses him of slacking off during her argument with Lilly in Act One. She is trying to determine whether he will defend himself when someone calls him useless (the "I've done my part" option), or if he will accept it and try to make excuses (the "Cut me some slack" option). Passing this test or not is the last decision that sets flags for her route; if you accompanied her and Misha to the Shanghai previously, and choose "I've done my part," you will almost certainly go through her route (see below.) If you choose "cut me some slack," you are locked out of it]].
548*** [[spoiler:It IS possible to avoid Shizune's route in the above scenario, even if you choose "I've done my part." To do so, you need to have told the nurse you would try to get in shape when he confronted you in "Waylay," then choose to "go for it" during "Exercise." This brings you to "Slow Recovery," where you can choose between Shizune and Emi. (Or tell them off and get the Kenji ending.)]]
549** This isn't the first time she does it, either. [[spoiler:She sets up the Risk game to see if Hisao is ambitious and aggressive, or calmer and defensive, the former being the sort of person she thinks would make a good council member. He loses the game either way, but playing aggressively impresses Shizune and flags for her route]].
550* SeinfeldianConversation: Mostly Kenji.
551-->'''[[OnlySaneMan Hisao]]:''' I have never seen anyone talk so heatedly and so defensively about absolutely nothing before.
552* SelfCensoredRelease: 2012's AprilFoolsDay joke was an announcement that 4LS had developed this sort of version of the game in HD. The download they put on the site even has a HD rendered version of the 4LS logo screen and the opening title. But once you select Start, [[spoiler:all you get is a black screen]].
553* SerialEscalation: Shortly after the game's release, the moderators on /a/ created a sticky thread (with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqf36ReTrDU music]]) to hold all KS discussion. However, the KS sticky threads had to be removed within the day since they would get bloated with thousands of posts. In the two days following the game's release, two sticky threads were made with a total of ''[[MemeticMutation over nine thousand]]'' posts. This isn't even counting the individual threads that inevitably pop up.
554** Threads have been popular on /v/ as well, competing with ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' threads, ''VideoGame/{{Dota 2}}'' threads, fighting generals, and trading/raffling threads. After the opening of the new /vg/ section, threads are still very active, with over 300 already done (a new one is created every 1000 posts) as of mid-2012.
555** ''Katawa Shoujo'' entered the "Top 10 Wanted FAQS" chart on Website/{{Gamefaqs}}' homepage at the third place. A few days later, ''it reached the top spot'' and stayed there for a while. More people have been introduced to it thanks to this. It also narrowly missed entering the general "Top 10 Games" chart in the same homepage.
556* SexualKarma: Near the end of [[spoiler: Shizune's route]], you get a scene where you can choose to cheat on her. If you do cheat 1) the sex is really uncomfortable and 2) it leads to her BadEnding. If you refuse to cheat on her, [[spoiler: you're "rewarded" with one of the most explicit and [[IdealizedSex pleasant-to-go-through sex scenes of the game]]]].
557%%* SexyDiscretionShot: See RelaxOVision above.
558* ShapedLikeItself: According to Rin, her mural.
559--> '''Rin:''' I didn't know what I'd paint, so I decided to paint just a mural.\
560'''Rin:''' It's a mural that portrays a mural.
561* ShinyNewAustralia: Hisao is offered Australia by Shizune in a game of ''TabletopGame/{{Risk}}'' if he joins the student council.
562* ShooOutTheClowns: Kenji becomes very noticeable in his absence after about midway through Act 2 of [[spoiler:Emi and Rin's]] routes. His last appearance in [[spoiler:Lilly's]] route, while fairly late, is on an uncharacteristically serious note. In Shizune's route, he mostly disappears when the plot turns dramatic, but returns after the problems have been resolved. He also makes one last appearance in Hanako's route to provide a final bit of PluckyComicRelief before the climax.
563* ShoutOut: Has its own page [[ShoutOut/KatawaShoujo here]].
564* ShownTheirWork: The disabilities are all real-world conditions, with mounds of supporting info provided by several nurses and caregivers who frequent the developers' forum.
565* ShrinkingViolet: Poor Yuuko and ''especially'' Hanako.
566* ShutUpKiss: In [[spoiler:Rin and Shizune]]'s routes. Or in the latter case, [[spoiler:"Shut Up" [[UsefulNotes/SignedLanguage bondage]]]].
567* SideBet:
568** Rin and Emi apparently do this a lot, and several times take bets on whether Hisao will show up to something. Rin tends to lose.
569** Shizune and Misha also like to bet on whether Hisao will do something, leading to the LeaningOnTheFourthWall comment from him, "My life's not a game!"
570** Kenji loses 1000 Yen in a bet over Lilly's ethnicity.
571* SickEpisode: In both [[spoiler:Rin and Emi]]'s routes, since they share a common event under the rain. Hisao drops by their rooms to check on them, with different results. [[spoiler:In Emi's case, he tucks her into bed and stays with her as she falls asleep, leading to his LoveEpiphany; in Rin's, she gives him a ShutUpKiss while high on codeine due to the cold meds, and he [[AboveTheInfluence resists the temptation of going further]]]].
572* SignatureLaugh: Misha's "Wahaha~!" (Yes, the tilde is required.) Also Nomiya.
573* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Interestingly played with. Hisao Nakai is a NiceGuy, yeah, and the girls come to love him as he gets over his initual depression and then begins to reach for them... but that doesn't ''necessarily'' mean he's gonna win their affections off the bat. In example, [[spoiler: if he falls into white knighting in Hanako's path, this will lead to the ''Bad End'' since she'll get tired of his well-intentioned but patronising attitude]]; similarly, [[spoiler: trying to [[CloudCuckooLandersMinder support and understand]] [[MadArtist Rin]] in her own path might bring him a heavy emotional toll]].
574* SittingOnTheRoof:
575** You eat lunch with Emi, Rin, and Shizune and Misha in their respective paths.
576** On a far, far more minor note, you meet for lunch with Lilly, Emi, Rin and Hanako on the roof on Lilly's route. You don't actually get to eat anything yourself [[spoiler:because your heart starts playing up a bit]].
577** Unlike many cases of this trope, the fact that going up on the roof is typically against the rules is mentioned at two points; a sign that tells students to stay off the roof [[spoiler:in the Act 1 Bad Ending]], and a warning from Misha and Shizune ([[HypocriticalHumor both of whom go up to the roof at various points]]) in Emi's route.
578* SliceOfLife: [[spoiler:Shizune's]] route, one of the main reasons why it is not everyone's cup of tea. Probably because [[spoiler:she lives in the moment and compartmentalizes everything]].
579* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Very much on the idealistic end, but with ''very'' strong EarnYourHappyEnding caveats.
580* SnowMeansLove: Subverted. Your crush in the beginning confesses her love to you during a snowy day. You then suffer a heart attack, go to the hospital, and you guys are through. Harsh.
581** Something of the similar effect happens in Rin's route[[note]]Most of the routes end in the summer, averting this trope, while Shizune's route supposedly spans that entire year up until graduation, the time skip between acts 3 and 4 bypasses winter completely.[[/note]], but with dandelion seeds. Minus the being-derailed-by-a-heart-attack part, of course.
582* SomethingSomethingLeonardBernstein: Because the timepass animation continues on its own, chances are that unless you pause the game at the right time, you're only going to hear the first few seconds of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9mnE50lIz0 Passing of Time]].
583** [[SubvertedTrope It does, however, unexpectedly show up]] [[spoiler:at the start of the last scene in Rin's route]], where it's used as part of a regular scene, with a few screens worth of text and is likely to run longer.
584* SoProudOfYou: The KS devs finally got one of these from [[https://web.archive.org/web/20130424162443/http://www.geocities.jp/raita_z/ RAITA himself]]
585** Lilly, [[spoiler:shortly before leaving for Scotland]] tells Hanako that she considers her a strong person at heart, and believes that she will be able to do well in the future [[spoiler:even after she has left]].
586* SpeechImpededLoveInterest: Shizune Hakamichi is deaf and tends to talk through others either through a sign language interpreter (her best friend Misha) or via writing in notepads. [[spoiler:There's just one time where she attempts to actually use her voice and that's during the last sex scene in her path. Hisao is rather surprised and awed.]]
587* SpiritualSuccessor: What the ''Missing Stars'' and ''Love Despite'' projects are aiming to be.
588* SpitTake: That poor library book...
589** "Your boyfriend is a gentleman. But don't forget to use protection..."
590*** "Don't worry, we are."
591* StarCrossedLovers: You can get Hisao in two of these situations:
592** [[spoiler: Lilly]]'s Bad Ending finishes with [[spoiler:Lilly and Akira leaving Japan to join their family in Scotland, ''never to return''. In fact, the Good Ending is about Hisao saying "ScrewDestiny!" and pulling a RaceForYourLove, barely managing to avert it: Lilly stays in Japan, Akira goes to Scotland with her boyfriend]].
593** [[spoiler:Rin's second]] Bad Ending, which has [[spoiler:Rin deciding to [[ButNowIMustGo accept the scholarship that Nomiya and Sae got her in a Tokyo art school]], thus she shares a last hug with Hisao under the rain and begs him to forget everything about her before leaving his life]].
594* StealthPun:
595** "To Become One" is the song that plays during sex scenes...in other words, when two become one. It also takes on a different meaning in the Bad Ending, due to two becoming one, referencing how [[spoiler:Kenji is the only one left after Hisao dies.]]
596** In Shizune's route, Shizune beats Hanako at chess, placing her king in checkmate with [[spoiler:a white knight.]]
597** [[ShrinkingViolet Hanako]] is referred to as "purple-haired girl" in her dialogue tags before her name is revealed.
598** Nomiya, who seems to only see his own idealized version of Rin, as opposed to the actual Rin in front of him, wears [[VisualPun rose-coloured glasses]].
599** Given both his condition and the fact that he feels all of his friends ditched him over his condition (including his would-be girlfriend), you could say that Hisao has a "broken heart" in every sense of the word.
600** {{Lemon}}-flavoured lubricant.
601* StepfordSmiler: Emi, Misha and Lilly later in her route.
602* SwissCheeseSecurity: Apparently [[spoiler:Shizune's father]] has no trouble entering school grounds with a [[EveryJapaneseSwordIsAKatana katana]].
603** Akira [[spoiler:can also smuggle alcohol into the grounds fairly easily despite it being a harmful substance '''''period''''']].
604** Discussed. There are several mentions of the security staff being overwhelmed due to the size of the school.
605** The school also has a curfew, and a guard between the girls' and boys' dorms to prevent "nighttime shenanigans." No one has any trouble dodging these restrictions, although Hisao sometimes has to stay the night to do so. Hisao lampshades it at one point, saying the meager guards are no match for adolescent hormones.
606* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Оn the forum - there most certainly are ''not'' fanworks of Hanako and Shizune as {{Magical Girl}}s.
607** Misha and Shizune also love doing this whenever Hisao suspects they're trying to trick him into doing Student Council work. Or when he suspects they're steering him towards actually joining Student Council.
608--> '''Misha:''' "Hahaha~! Of course, we're not trying to get you to join just because we would obviously benefit from you joining the Student Council and therefore have an incentive to try and get you to -"
609--> '''Hisao:''' "So you're admitting that."
610** "I wasn't sleeping and welcome to the Shanghai!"
611** Defied late in Shizune's route, shortly before her bad ending. Hisao thinks that "[[LampshadeHanging They say that the more specific a denial is, the more likely it is that the accusations are true]]" but thinks that Shizune denying surrounding herself with people who will agree with her on the Student Council does not fall into this.
612** See BlatantLies above, when in Shizune's route, the friends Hisao is concerned about are ''not'' Shizune and Misha.
613* StupidityIsTheOnlyOption: [[spoiler:The art teacher wants to compel Rin to put her art up for exhibition. Depending on previous choices, you can choose three of a total of six options, and even then the only course of action you're allowed to take is to encourage her to go for it - despite her obviously protesting wanting to change herself for this kind of thing]].
614** Also, see ViolationOfCommonSense below.
615* TactfulTranslation: When Hisao acts as an interpreter during one of Shizune's and Lilly's fights, his rendition of Shizune's side is much more... diplomatic than she intended. Lilly doesn't quite buy it, though.
616--> '''Shizune (to Lilly):''' [You wouldn't know, since you never go outside. Did you run out of tea?]
617--> '''Hisao:''' "Are you going into town? Shopping?"
618--> '''Lilly:''' "No. As I said before, I was just passing by, [[StealthInsult in case you did not hear]]. ... You're not doing anything now, but you must both be very busy..."
619--> '''Shizune:''' ''[I'll devour you!]''
620--> '''Hisao:''' "Yeah, very busy."
621** Lilly, however, is fooled later in Shizune's route when Hisao translates a sarcastic quip by Shizune into something else entirely.
622* ThatCameOutWrong: [[AbusiveParents Jigoro]] [[JerkassHasAPoint throws this at Hisao]] in his first scene:
623--> '''Jigoro:''' [Regarding the fishing trip the previous day] Do you even know how to fish? Unlikely. There are not enough poles here for all of you. How does that work? Did you all share? One person baits the hook, and another casts? Two people to reel? Incompetent.
624--> '''Hisao:''' Well, six of us went, so [[InnocentInnuendo we couldn't all do it at the same time]]. First it was just [[HGamePOVCharacter me]], Akira, [[DudeLooksLikeALady Hideaki]], and [[HollywoodPudgy Misha]].
625--> '''Jigoro:''' Stop talking. That sounds unspeakably dirty. I have had enough of your filth. How vulgar. Make sure that your statements are not so embarassingly, carelessly worded next time.
626--> '''Hisao:''' [[DefensiveWhat What...?]]
627* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Hisao does this on Shizune's path.
628-->'''Hisao:''' I crush the note in my fist dramatically, but no one is there to see it, and that makes me sad.
629* ThemeNaming: The acts in Lilly's route are called "Past", "Present" and "Future".
630* ThoseTwoGuys: If you are pursuing a girl other than Shizune, she and Misha become this as they (and the asocial Hanako) are the only heroines who are in his classes. The other girls, bar maybe Hanako, rarely appear or do not reappear beyond Act 1 if their or their best friend's route is not being pursued.
631** Emi and Rin are this if you're doing Shizune, Hanako or Lilly's routes. Hanako and Lilly are this as well if you're doing Emi or Rin's routes.
632* ThreesomeSubtext: Present to some extent in each of the routes, since Hisao tends to spend a significant amount of time with his girlfriend's best friend, often at the same time as his girlfriend. This is especially the case in Lilly's route, in which Lilly loves Hisao for, among other things, how kind he is to Hanako.
633* TimeLapse: Used in the first cinematic of Hanako's route.
634* TwoGirlsAndAGuy: In every route, Hisao forms this sort of relationship with the "target" heroine and her closest friend.
635* TwoPersonPoolParty: Barely averted. Hisao and Lilly fondle each other in the bath tub, but the actual sex happens on the floor next to the tub.
636* TwoTeacherSchool: Only four faculty members actually appear in the game, and only two of them are teachers; the others are a nurse and a part-time librarian, respectively. Other teachers (and nurses) are implied to exist (like Lilly's homeroom teacher, Miyagi), but that's pretty much all we know about them.
637* UmbrellaOfTogetherness: Rin and Hisao share an umbrella during her path. Emi was also part of this scenario, but left to go running.
638** Somewhat averted later in the neutral ending, as Rin partially stays outside of the umbrella to keep her distance from Hisao.
639* TheUnreveal: We never get told what's inside Kenji's package. [[WordOfGod One of the devs]] once jokingly stated on the Katawa Shoujo forum that Misha's route was in that box.
640* UnusualEuphemism: There are a few, mostly implied (and therefore created/used by the fandom), but perhaps one of the best is when Kenji ambushes you in the shower, begging for money. "A particularly disturbing fact given that his baton is conducting freely."
641* {{Utsuge}}: Some of the routes fall straight into this, and all of them have at least one depressing DownerEnding.
642* VideogameCrueltyPotential: Most dialogue choices aren't unsubtle enough for you to really do anything awful on purpose, but [[spoiler:the single choice in Shizune's route, explicitly giving you the opportunity to cheat on her with Misha, her best friend who is also in love with her]], certainly takes the cake.
643* VillainyFreeVillain: Two rather unlikable characters of this sort appear: Jigoro Hakamichi in his daughter Shizune's route, and [[spoiler:Nomiya near the good ending of Rin's route]].
644* ViolationOfCommonSense: Hisao overexerting himself in the second day on the track is bad for his heart and earns him a WhatTheHellHero from the Nurse and Mutou, but it's a key step in getting to Emi's route.
645** Getting the best ending for [[spoiler:Hanako requires you to leave her alone and not try to help her]], even though Hisao's thoughts tell the player that he doubts this is the right thing to do. [[spoiler:Hisao's natural white knighting tendencies really ''are'' causing a problem]].
646* VitriolicBestBuds: Hisao and Emi tease each other throughout. Traces of this are present even in the other routes; each time you encounter Emi after Act One, there's sure to be some light-hearted teasing going on.
647* WallOfText:
648** Rin fulfills this at two points during her route... in [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} characteristic fashion]], of course.
649** During the hospital scene, when Hisao checks the list of medicines, dosages, side effects and like that, random words from the list gradually flow in and almost cover the whole screen. It serves to make the reader feel as overwhelmed as Hisao.
650* WasJustLeaving: Late in [[spoiler:Emi's]] route, Hisao visits her home. He can choose to talk to her mother, who will demand from her daughter to answer for his presence. Not missing a bit, [[spoiler:Emi]] tells her that Hisao is on his way out.
651-->'''[[spoiler:Meiko]]''': [[spoiler:Emi]], Hisao was just--\
652'''[[spoiler:Emi]]''': On his way out of the house? Yeah, I know.
653* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:Lilly and Shizune were actually very close to each other before their falling out over the Student Council. Late in Lilly's route, however, they start to make the first steps towards reconciliation]].
654* WhamLine:
655** In Emi's route:
656-->''Emi's there, yes. But [[spoiler:she's in a wheelchair]].''
657*** Later on, the real reason Emi took Hisao to the shed becomes clear when he finds a container labeled "[[spoiler:Personal lubricant - lemon flavored]]".
658** In Shizune's route:
659-->[[spoiler:'''Misha:''' "Comfort me, Hicchan, just for today]].
660*** And later in the same route:
661-->[[spoiler:'''Misha''': I know you like her, Hicchan. I mean that I like Shicchan in the same way. I want her to be my girlfriend]].
662** In Lilly's route, when Akira announces that [[spoiler:Lilly plans to move back to Scotland permanently, leaving Hisao behind]].
663-->'''Akira''': When our folks told me that when we were at their place, though, they also [[spoiler:gave Lilly a summons to rejoin them in Inverness]].
664** In Hanako's route, the moment in "Misstep" ([[spoiler:Hanako's Bad Ending]]), when [[spoiler:Hanako just ''snaps'' at Hisao (and by extension, ''[[WhatTheHellPlayer you]]'') for treating her like she's completely helpless]]:
665-->'''Hanako''': [[spoiler:Get out of my room, get out of my room, get out of my room...! Leave! I'm telling you, go!]]\
666'''Hisao''': [[spoiler:B-but... I was just trying to... help you..]].\
667'''Hanako''': [[spoiler:I know I need help! I know I'm broken! I don't need you to tell me that!]]\
668'''Hisao''': [[spoiler:I never said you were broken, or anything like that!]]\
669'''Hanako''': [[spoiler:It's written on your face, it's written on Lilly's face, it's written on everybody's faces! I see a therapist every week, Lilly dotes on me as if I were her child, and now... even you! Nothing's changed, nothing at all! [[WhatTheHellPlayer I hate Lilly, and I..]]. ''[[PlayerPunch I hate you more than anyone...!]]'']]
670*** This exchange in Hanako's route, especially considering that it not only takes the scene to a completely different subject, but also to one completely different from the equivalent scene in Lilly's route.
671-->'''Lilly''': There is another person, though, that has been a subject of worry for me as of late.
672-->'''Hisao''': Oh?
673-->'''Lilly''': That person is you, Hisao.
674** In some routes (Hanako's, for example), the reveal of who sent the letter Hisao is given is done this way:
675-->'''Hisao''': [[spoiler:Iwanako]]...
676** Whenever the HeartbeatSoundtrack makes an appearance. For instance, after Iwanako confesses in the prologue, bumping into Emi and [[spoiler:Emi and Hisao's race]] in Act 1, [[spoiler:during their weekend away in Act 3, the third H-scene, and at the airport as he watches Lilly walk away for the last time during the ''heart-wrenching'' finale]] in Lilly's route.
677* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Kenji is all over this trope. Who's his ex-girlfriend? What was in that box? Did Yuuko ever find out he was stealing books from the library? It's all a RiddleForTheAges... His ex-girlfriend is heavily implied to be [[spoiler: Yuuko]] but it's never confirmed. In fact, the prototype build all but shouts it to the player, but that's not exactly canon. Probably for the better that it was made more subtle.
678* WhatTheHellHero: The Nurse and Mutou give Hisao quite a tongue-lashing if he overworks himself while racing Emi, causing unnecessary strain to his heart. Oddly enough this actually (in Hisao and the player depending on their choices) goes towards [[RelationshipUpgrade something good]].
679* WhatTheHellPlayer: Some of the bad endings, most notably [[spoiler:Hanako's and Shizune's. In the former, it's revealed that Hanako despises Hisao and Lilly for pitying her, and in the latter, Hisao's sleeping with Misha prevents her and Shizune from reconciling - and Shizune never even finds out]].
680** Revealed in the chart mentioned in CasualVideoGame, that some options where you act like a jerkass have serious consequences.
681* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: According to the devs, the setting of the game is loosely based on somewhere around Sendai, Japan. They do note though that: "…the city is not mentioned, recognizable or realistically portrayed."
682** [[spoiler:Iwanako's letter to Hisao]] is addressed to a "City Miyagi" in Japanese (obviously meant to be Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture), though the entire address is in the reverse order of what you'd expect in Japan.
683** cpl_crud has since revealed that when he photographed Sendai for research, he imagined Yamaku as being where the remains of Aoba Castle are, which is here [[https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.252478,140.856156&spn=0.01,0.01&t=h&q=38.252478,140.856156]], right next door to the Tohoku University Kawauchi campus. Though he has also clarified that it's just his mental reference point for the environs, and shouldn't be taken as the "canon" location for the academy.
684* WholesomeCrossdresser: Part of the reason Hisao thinks Hideaki is a girl upon first seeing him.
685** Akira, because of her career.
686* WinHerAPrize: During Shizune's Act 1 ending, Hisao is "persuaded" by Misha and Shizune to try his luck at ball and bottle game at the Festival and tries to win the two girls a pair of stuffed cat dolls. [[spoiler: He eventually wins one for Shizune but is forced to stop when his arrythmia acts up.]]
687* WorldOfTechnicolorHair: The hair colors, while a little too various for what is at least nominally a Japanese school, tend to remain in the BlondeBrunetteRedhead spectrum. Dark-haired characters tend to have blue or purple highlights, and their hair colors are listed as such on the homepage. Several side character, on the other hand, have rather unrealistic colors; most notably the nurse, who has blue hair, but there's also both Jigoro (blue) and Hideaki (green), which does stand out a bit from a mainly natural-coloured hair dominance in the game. Misha, who has bright pink hair, is the only character whose hair color is immediately commented upon [[spoiler:and is revealed to be dyed in both Lilly's and Shizune's routes; she's actually a natural brunette]].
688* YouBastard: Part of Hanako's fanbase and, on her route, Hisao, are attracted to her because she is TheWoobie, even more than the other girls. But in her worst ending, [[spoiler:she snaps at Hisao, telling him that she believes he, Lilly and everyone else see her as a "broken" individual and pity her, declaring that she hates him and Lilly]]. These comments can just as easily apply to some of her fans.
689** While Hanako's path was intended from the very beginning to drop this trope on the player (according to WordOfGod), Rin's can also be interpreted similarly. If you really give it some thought, you will realize very quickly that from the very moment you first meet her, [[spoiler: it's incredibly obvious that something is off about Rin's behavior. But she's just so charming, isn't she? Her quirkiness is just so adorable, it's probably just a sign of true intelligence!. And then you go, and, as Hisao, push her further and further into insanity ''despite her constant (in the beginning) objections and the fact that she obviously isn't interested'', because ''she's so smart and cute, right?'' One of the endings implies that she'll ''kill herself'' because of the "lessons" you taught her]].
690** Somewhat less dramatically, the typical path to Shizune's route requires you, as Hisao, to act like a bit of a bastard towards most of the other girls. First Hisao can't make too many choices that are [[spoiler:friendly to Lilly or Hanako]], culminating with him getting caught in the middle of an argument between Shizune and Lilly where he [[spoiler:(unintentionally) insults Lilly right after she had just defended him to Shizune]]. Then, if Hisao has persisted in [[spoiler:exercising with Emi in the mornings]] while also pursuing Shizune's path, a day will come when [[spoiler:Emi invites him to lunch with her, even promising to make his lunch for him, and he accepts her offer. Later that morning, though, Shizune also invites him to lunch that same day. Hisao ''must'' accept Shizune's invitation in order to reach her path, and if he does accept then Shizune drags him off immediately, which means that Emi gets stood up with no warning and no apology after she asked him out first, offered to treat, and did all the work of preparing a nice lunch]].
691[[/folder]]

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