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* CultClassic: Odd, off-putting premise? Check. Enthusiastic (if small) fanbase? Check. Ignored or panned by mainstream reviewers? Check. Though it was a better example of this trope before the full version came out.

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* CultClassic: Odd, Initially, the odd and off-putting premise? Check. Enthusiastic premise attracted an enthusiastic (if small) fanbase? Check. Ignored fanbase, but was ignored or panned by mainstream reviewers? Check. reviewers. Though it was a better example of this trope before the full version came out.out, after which it began getting widespread praise for its respectful portrayal of a disabled cast.
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* Is Nomiya a well meaning teacher who is maybe a little too invested in Rin's art career, is he secretly grooming her to be a [[ReplacementGoldfish replacement for Sae's deceased husband]] or is he a DirtyCoward who wants to [[StageMom vicariously live through Rin]] because he's afraid of ending up [[DrivenToSuicide like Sae's husband]]? Is his rant towards Rin a fair reaction after she left the art exhibition they spent months working towards, or was Nomiya just projecting his own past failures on Rin and indirectly admitting he was only using her for her artistic talents?
* Is Hisao's love for Hanako genuine, or does [[LovingAShadow he suffer from limerence and an inability to move on from Iwanako]]? Unlike the other girls, Hanako is the only one who explicitly asks about Iwanako, and Hanako's route is the only one where Hisao admits that he's unsure if he's really moved on from Iwanako.[[note]]Iwanako is never mentioned by the other girls, and she's only brought up on Lily's route if Hisao tells Lily about her during their date.[[/note]] If that's the case, then is is possible that Hisao subconsciously views Hanako as [[ReplacementGoldfish a second Iwanako]]]? Both H'''anako''' and Iw'''anako''' are dark haired fragile looking girls with similar names, and Hisao does spend a lot of time thinking about Hanako and trying to make her happy, even at the cost of his own needs. In the bad ending route, Hisao's limerence is blatant as [[spoiler:he's obsessed with Hanako, wanting to be around her and being outright nervous during their final encounter, even as it becomes gradually clear that Hanako is uncomfortable with Hisao's obsessive pushiness and obliviousness to her actual feelings. However, the good ending proves that his feelings were genuine in that Hisao wilfully makes himself emotionally vulnerable to Hanako and it's his willingness to talk things out with her and see her as an equal that allows him to save his relationship with Hanako.]]

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* ** Is Nomiya a well meaning teacher who is maybe a little too invested in Rin's art career, is he secretly grooming her to be a [[ReplacementGoldfish replacement for Sae's deceased husband]] or is he a DirtyCoward who wants to [[StageMom vicariously live through Rin]] because he's afraid of ending up [[DrivenToSuicide like Sae's husband]]? Is his rant towards Rin a fair reaction after she left the art exhibition they spent months working towards, or was Nomiya just projecting his own past failures on Rin and indirectly admitting he was only using her for her artistic talents?
* ** Is Hisao's love for Hanako genuine, or does [[LovingAShadow he suffer from limerence and an inability to move on from Iwanako]]? Unlike the other girls, Hanako is the only one who explicitly asks about Iwanako, and Hanako's route is the only one where Hisao admits that he's unsure if he's really moved on from Iwanako.[[note]]Iwanako is never mentioned by the other girls, and she's only brought up on Lily's route if Hisao tells Lily about her during their date.[[/note]] If that's the case, then is is possible that Hisao subconsciously views Hanako as [[ReplacementGoldfish a second Iwanako]]]? Both H'''anako''' and Iw'''anako''' are dark haired fragile looking girls with similar names, and Hisao does spend a lot of time thinking about Hanako and trying to make her happy, even at the cost of his own needs. In the bad ending route, Hisao's limerence is blatant as [[spoiler:he's obsessed with Hanako, wanting to be around her and being outright nervous during their final encounter, even as it becomes gradually clear that Hanako is uncomfortable with Hisao's obsessive pushiness and obliviousness to her actual feelings. However, the good ending proves that his feelings were genuine in that Hisao wilfully makes himself emotionally vulnerable to Hanako and it's his willingness to talk things out with her and see her as an equal that allows him to save his relationship with Hanako.]]

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* CommonKnowledge: During the bad ending, a lot of fans believe that Hisao is murdered by Kenji. In actuality, the narration mentions nothing about Hisao being pushed, implying that he fell off the roof by accident. It's likely that this came from a line from "Piracy on the High Seas" (a scene from Emi's route) where Kenji mentions that if he were to kill someone, pushing them off a roof is the best way to do it; fans simply took it as {{Foreshadowing}} and conflated the two scenes, despite Kenji's statement contradicting what actually happens in the Act 1 bad ending.

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* CommonKnowledge: CommonKnowledge:
**
During the bad ending, a lot of fans believe that Hisao is murdered by Kenji. In actuality, the narration mentions nothing about Hisao being pushed, implying that he fell off the roof by accident. It's likely that this came from a line from "Piracy on the High Seas" (a scene from Emi's route) where Kenji mentions that if he were to kill someone, pushing them off a roof is the best way to do it; fans simply took it as {{Foreshadowing}} and conflated the two scenes, despite Kenji's statement contradicting what actually happens in the Act 1 bad ending.ending.
** Hanako's sex scene is considered to be one of the most intensely debated in terms of [[QuestionableConsent actual consent]]. However from the way some fans speak about it, you'd think that Hisao coerced Hanako into having sex with her and that [[DesignatedHero the game itself saw no problem with this]]. This is completely wrong. Hanako's route is the only one where [[spoiler:Hisao explicitly admits that he's concerned about Hanako's ability to consent, and actually regrets his moment of passion immensely, fearing that Hanako sees him as someone who used her for sex. During the final scene, Hisao admits to Hanako his worries about their sexual tryst, with Hanako admitting that she allowed it in order to prove to him that [[TheWoobie she's more than someone]] who exists to be protected by others.]]
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* Is Hisao's love for Hanako genuine, or does [[LovingAShadow he suffer from limerence and an inability to move on from Iwanako]]? Unlike the other girls, Hanako is the only one who explicitly asks about Iwanako, and Hanako's route is the only one where Hisao admits that he's unsure if he's really moved on from Iwanako.[[note]]Iwanako is never mentioned by the other girls, and she's only brought up on Lily's route if Hisao tells Lily about her during their date.[[/note]] If that's the case, then is is possible that Hisao subconsciously views Hanako as [[ReplacementGoldfish a second Iwanako]]]? Both H'''anako''' and Iw'''anako''' are dark haired fragile looking girls with similar names, and Hisao does spend a lot of time thinking about Hanako and trying to make her happy, even at the cost of his own needs. In the bad ending route, Hisao's limerence is blatant as [[spoiler:he's obsessed with Hanako, wanting to be around her and being outright nervous during their final encounter, even as it becomes gradually clear that Hanako is uncomfortable with Hisao's obsessive pushiness and obliviousness to her actual feelings.]]

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* Is Hisao's love for Hanako genuine, or does [[LovingAShadow he suffer from limerence and an inability to move on from Iwanako]]? Unlike the other girls, Hanako is the only one who explicitly asks about Iwanako, and Hanako's route is the only one where Hisao admits that he's unsure if he's really moved on from Iwanako.[[note]]Iwanako is never mentioned by the other girls, and she's only brought up on Lily's route if Hisao tells Lily about her during their date.[[/note]] If that's the case, then is is possible that Hisao subconsciously views Hanako as [[ReplacementGoldfish a second Iwanako]]]? Both H'''anako''' and Iw'''anako''' are dark haired fragile looking girls with similar names, and Hisao does spend a lot of time thinking about Hanako and trying to make her happy, even at the cost of his own needs. In the bad ending route, Hisao's limerence is blatant as [[spoiler:he's obsessed with Hanako, wanting to be around her and being outright nervous during their final encounter, even as it becomes gradually clear that Hanako is uncomfortable with Hisao's obsessive pushiness and obliviousness to her actual feelings. However, the good ending proves that his feelings were genuine in that Hisao wilfully makes himself emotionally vulnerable to Hanako and it's his willingness to talk things out with her and see her as an equal that allows him to save his relationship with Hanako.]]
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** Kenji gets this quite a bit due to his nature as a paranoid Cloudcucckoolander who believes that feminists are trying to undermine the social order and are out to get him. Some fans seem to think he has paranoid schizophrenia, though it could also be possible that Kenji is autistic due to his trouble understanding metaphors, hyper specific interests, gravitation towards solitary behavior and his difficulty with social cues.


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** ''Missteps'' can be considered one of the more memorable Bad Endings due to Hisao's industrial grip on the IdiotBall making for a scene that is absolutely painful to watch, and will likely make you feel [[spoiler:just as angry as Hanako does when she finally hits her RageBreakingPoint.]]
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** Is Nomiya a well meaning teacher who is maybe a little too invested in Rin's art career, is he secretly grooming her to be a [[ReplacementGoldfish replacement for Sae's deceased husband]] or is he a DirtyCoward who wants to [[StageMom vicariously live through Rin]] because he's afraid of ending up [[DrivenToSuicide like Sae's husband]]? Is his rant towards Rin a fair reaction after she left the art exhibition they spent months working towards, or was Nomiya just projecting his own past failures on Rin and indirectly admitting he was only using her for her artistic talents?

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** * Is Nomiya a well meaning teacher who is maybe a little too invested in Rin's art career, is he secretly grooming her to be a [[ReplacementGoldfish replacement for Sae's deceased husband]] or is he a DirtyCoward who wants to [[StageMom vicariously live through Rin]] because he's afraid of ending up [[DrivenToSuicide like Sae's husband]]? Is his rant towards Rin a fair reaction after she left the art exhibition they spent months working towards, or was Nomiya just projecting his own past failures on Rin and indirectly admitting he was only using her for her artistic talents?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

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* Is Hisao's love for Hanako genuine, or does [[LovingAShadow he suffer from limerence and an inability to move on from Iwanako]]? Unlike the other girls, Hanako is the only one who explicitly asks about Iwanako, and Hanako's route is the only one where Hisao admits that he's unsure if he's really moved on from Iwanako.[[note]]Iwanako is never mentioned by the other girls, and she's only brought up on Lily's route if Hisao tells Lily about her during their date.[[/note]] If that's the case, then is is possible that Hisao subconsciously views Hanako as [[ReplacementGoldfish a second Iwanako]]]? Both H'''anako''' and Iw'''anako''' are dark haired fragile looking girls with similar names, and Hisao does spend a lot of time thinking about Hanako and trying to make her happy, even at the cost of his own needs. In the bad ending route, Hisao's limerence is blatant as [[spoiler:he's obsessed with Hanako, wanting to be around her and being outright nervous during their final encounter, even as it becomes gradually clear that Hanako is uncomfortable with Hisao's obsessive pushiness and obliviousness to her actual feelings.]]
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* DelusionConclusion: Lily's route can be considered a traditional love story where Hisao and Lily [[BoyMeetsGirl fall for each other]], and after realizing that he'll never see her again [[RaceForYourLove goes pell-mell trying to catch up to her]]. After trying his damnedest to call for Lily at the airport, [[spoiler: he ends up suffering a heart attack which by all means should be fatal for him. With that in mind, the last few scenes after "False Candence" could be interpreted as either Hisao [[AllJustADream awakening from a dream of an idealized love life]] still trapped in hospital; or that Hisao actually died at the airport, and that everything after is his DyingDream allowing him to give himself closure with Lily and live out a happy life with her.]]

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Saying Hisao "hates" Hideaki is an exaggeration- at worst they occasionally butt heads.


** As shown in several routes, Kenji has nothing against women themselves but despises feminism. Is Kenji actually a misogynist or is he just anti-feminist either out of ignorance, fear (e.g his behavior regarding Shizune) or because he actually believes that feminists are a danger to society?

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** As shown in several routes, Kenji has nothing against women themselves but despises feminism. Is Kenji actually a misogynist or is he just anti-feminist either out of ignorance, fear (e.g his behavior regarding Shizune) Shizune, who's the most intimidating of the girls, whereas he's relatively nice to [[ShrinkingViolet Hanako]]) or because he actually believes that feminists are a danger to society?



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

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** Rin having [[DiagnosedByTheAudience autism or a learning disorder]], as well as the precise nature of her mental health issues. Lilly says in her route that Yamaku isn't for students with mental health issues, but it's possible those are undiagnosed.



* BaseBreakingCharacter: Shizune is rather controversial even apart from the divide over her route. She can come off as highly abrasive, resulting in most of her schoolmates disliking her, including her cousin Lilly, but at the same time, she struggles with her own communication-related issues as a deaf girl whose father had little to no interest in helping her. The main divide is whether her behavior is understandable and whether her eventual CharacterDevelopment on her route redeems her.



** Shizune's route is either a terribly written route lacking in romantic relations with an unlikable character, an overly verbose route that expects the reader to endure [[WallOfText walls of text]] and an entire filler arc with Shizune's family instead of Shizune herself or a route with a more subdued, SliceOfLife romance justified by Hisao and Shizune's respective characterizations and trust in each other. WordOfGod states that many parts of her route, [[spoiler:including what happened to the characters in its Good Ending]], were deliberately left vague so that they would be open to interpretation by the players. Apparently, more than a few players didn't appreciate this.

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** Shizune's route is either a terribly written route lacking in romantic relations with an unlikable character, an overly verbose route that expects the reader to endure [[WallOfText walls of text]] and an entire filler arc with Shizune's family instead of Shizune herself or a route with a more subdued, SliceOfLife romance justified by Hisao and Shizune's respective characterizations and trust in each other. WordOfGod states that many parts of her route, [[spoiler:including what happened to the characters in its Good Ending]], were deliberately left vague so that they would be open to interpretation by the players. Apparently, more than a few players didn't appreciate this. It also doesn't help that it's one of the more linear routes, with only a single (albeit critically important) player choice.



* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Hideaki Hakamichi's bluntness (without Shizune's deafness to justify a lowered social tact), naturally monotone voice, and apparent obliviousness to social norms (particularly signified by his effeminate clothes) are often seen as signs that he's autistic.

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* DiagnosedByTheAudience: DiagnosedByTheAudience:
**
Hideaki Hakamichi's bluntness (without Shizune's deafness to justify a lowered social tact), naturally monotone voice, and apparent obliviousness to social norms (particularly signified by his effeminate clothes) are often seen as signs that he's autistic.



** Hideaki. Even before he actually appeared in the game, he sure had a lot of fanart.

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** Hideaki.Hideaki, who only appears a handful of times in his older sister Shizune and cousin Lilly's routes. Even before he actually appeared in the game, he sure had a lot of fanart.



* FandomRivalry: Has a bit of this with ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend''.

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* %%* FandomRivalry: Has a bit of this with ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend''.



* InformedWrongness: While it's likely that Hideaki was intended to be seen as a grating, annoying socially inept know-it-all in order to make you empathise with Hisao, for some, Hisao's hatred of him does come off as overblown in comparison to his interactions with Jigoro or even Kenji.

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* InformedWrongness: While it's likely that Hideaki was intended to be seen as a grating, annoying socially inept know-it-all in order to make you empathise with Hisao, for some, Hisao's hatred of occasional difficulties with him does come off as overblown in comparison to his interactions with Jigoro or even Kenji.



** Though the Shizune route is known for a lot of things such as divided fan reception, it's one dialogue choice which is considered quite memorable due to the bad option "Comfort Misha" leading to a very unexpected turn in which Hisao [[spoiler:ends up cheating on Shizune to have sex with Misha]], something which many fans still remember alongside Emi's lemons to this day.

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** Though the Shizune route is known for a lot of things such as divided fan reception, it's one its only dialogue choice choice, which is considered quite memorable due to the bad option "Comfort Misha" leading to a very unexpected turn in which Hisao [[spoiler:ends up cheating on Shizune to have sex with Misha]], something which many fans still remember alongside Emi's lemons to this day.
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** Despite being solidified as a character before such people became infamous on the Internet, Kenji is one fedora away from a point-by-point parody of stereotypical toxic "manosphere" types. Actually, he does mention that he has a favourite hat; sadly, he doesn't specify whether it's a fedora or something else. Furthermore, in Shizune's route, he says "we live in a society", a phrase [[CommonKnowledge often attributed to the Joker]], particularly [[Film/Joker2019 Arthur Fleck]] who ended up being seen as a "Sigma Male" figure by some in the manosphere.

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


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

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

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** Also unsurprisingly, there's a small but devoted fanbase from of blind and visually impaired players; players, as one of the few works to portray blindness with realism and respect. The fact that it's one of only a handful of visual novels said fans can play and that the CGI isn't strictly important to the plot certainly justifies it.
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** Though the Shizune route is known for a lot of things such as divided fan reception, it's one dialogue choice is considered quite memorable due to the bad option "Comfort Misha" leading to a very unexpected turn in which Hisao [[spoiler:ends up cheating on Shizune to have sex with Misha]], something which many fans still remember alongside Emi's lemons to this day.

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** Though the Shizune route is known for a lot of things such as divided fan reception, it's one dialogue choice which is considered quite memorable due to the bad option "Comfort Misha" leading to a very unexpected turn in which Hisao [[spoiler:ends up cheating on Shizune to have sex with Misha]], something which many fans still remember alongside Emi's lemons to this day.
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** The manly picnic NonStandardGameOver has ''skyrocketed'' Kenji's popularity over the fandom. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6rhYiCfjoU You thought it was the bad end...but it's only just the beginning.]]

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** The manly picnic NonStandardGameOver has ''skyrocketed'' Kenji's popularity over the fandom. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6rhYiCfjoU You thought it was the bad end... but it's only just the beginning.]]
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* InformedWrongness: While its likely that Hideaki was intended to be seen as a grating, annoying socially inept know-it-all in order to make you empathise with Hisao, for some, Hisao's hatred of him does come off as overblown in comparison to his interactions with Jigoro or even Kenji.

to:

* InformedWrongness: While its it's likely that Hideaki was intended to be seen as a grating, annoying socially inept know-it-all in order to make you empathise with Hisao, for some, Hisao's hatred of him does come off as overblown in comparison to his interactions with Jigoro or even Kenji.
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** Some of the H-scenes have resulted in quite a few shouting matches over whether they were [[QuestionableConsent sufficiently consensual]], such as Shizune [[spoiler:tying Hisao's hands, leaving him unable to protest]], [[spoiler: Hisao masturbating Rin during their time in Sae's gallery]], Hanako [[spoiler:giving only vague implied consent and being noticeably uncomfortable during the scene]].

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** Some of the H-scenes have resulted in quite a few shouting matches over whether they were [[QuestionableConsent sufficiently consensual]], such as Shizune [[spoiler:tying Hisao's hands, leaving him unable to protest]], [[spoiler: Hisao masturbating Rin during their time in Sae's gallery]], and Hanako [[spoiler:giving only vague implied consent and being noticeably uncomfortable during the scene]].
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* AluminiumChristmasTrees: Some players find the idea of a general-purpose special school that all children with special needs get collectively shuffled off to unrealistic, but there are actually several such schools in Japan. The devs did their research on this one.

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* AluminiumChristmasTrees: Some players find the idea of a general-purpose special school that all children with special needs get collectively shuffled off to be unrealistic, but there are actually several such schools in Japan. The devs did their research on this one.

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