But I guess, as in real life, a few months isnвЂ™t enough to change a personвЂ™s entire personality. But still, I feel a more dramatic change in personality or a scenario to show that change would have been better. To be fair though, the real motivations behind her fierce personality are explained and she does direct that negative obsession and stubbornness to a positive and meaningful goal in the end. In the end, she was also a competition-obsessed and somewhat less stubborn person. In the beginning, she was a competition-obsessed and very stubborn person. In the end, I got the vibe that they were good friends, but were they lovers? I donвЂ™t think I could say that.ДЄlso, as far as I could tell, Shizune had little to no character development at all throughout the VN. HisaoвЂ™sВ relationship withВ ShizuneВ lacked the sort of intimacy and closeness I was expecting. I also feel that missed opportunities were everywhere in the scenes between Shizune and Hisao too. It could be due to my preference for clean-cut and clear plots, but this is something that I feel could have been better done. But, I think those arenвЂ™t valid excuses and that her family could and should have played a more significant role in the route. There are clues, such as the absence of ShizuneвЂ™s mother, JigoroвЂ™s (ShizuneвЂ™s father) less than fatherly attitude and even ShizuneвЂ™s condition as well. It is never fully or clearly explained why the HakamichiвЂ™s are such a dysfunctional family. There, the tension and distance between the Hakamichi family members was obvious.Д®xcept that the reasons behind this are not so obvious. There was a part where Hisao visited ShizuneвЂ™s family during the summer break. What I cannot applaud though, are the missed opportunities that slipped through the script-writersвЂ™ fingers. I can only applaud them for this ingenious move. No doubt about it, I was awestruck they could present the whole affair as a run-of-the-mill love triangle yet give such an unexpected twist to it. Love triangle? Not the way you'd normally think.ДЇirst place though, has to go to the shock reveal that Misha was actually in love with Shizune. The scene where Hisao вЂre-toursвЂ™ spots in the school which hold memories along with Misha made me feel a bit nostalgic myself. It felt a bit generic, but it was still well thought-out and I did enjoy it somewhat. In order to set things straight, Hisao has to intervene and use the power of nakama. In the later acts of the VN, Misha and Shizune get into a cold war thanks to Hisao rekindling the romantic feelings Misha had for Shizune. Instead, a theme steals the spotlight here, the theme of freindship. After the 2nd act though, it wasnвЂ™t as prominent or as interesting though it did occasionally made me laugh. The conversations and resulting misunderstandings were particularly interesting to watch. This is particularly obvious in the beginning, when Hisao hasnвЂ™t learned sign language and has to communicate through Misha to Shizune. This leads me to one of the strong points in this Katawa Shoujo route, the fascinating relationship and never-dull interactions between Shizune and Misha. Turns out, both MishaвЂ™s and ShizuneвЂ™sВ background intertwine closely with one another. Two stories for the price of one route, I thought. Later, I decided to aim for ShizuneвЂ™s route (Misha doesnвЂ™t have a route in the visual novel). I found them likable enough, their antics in persuading Hisao to join their understaffed council were quite interesting to watch.

It all started when the protagonist Hisao met Shizune, the deaf and mute Student Council President, and her energenetic interepreter-cum-sidekick Misha. It seems unfair and harsh, but hereвЂ™s why I thought so. That pretty much sums up what IвЂ™ve to say about this route, the route I had put so much expectation on, the route which had left me hungry for more all the time but ultimately let me down. вЂSo much potential, but such mediocre results.вЂ™

Spoilers ahoy! If you are interested in playing Katawa Shoujo, DO NOT READ this post, it might ruin your experience or colour your perceptions of it, if not a particular route.ДЄs I clicked through the final scenes in Shizune HakamichiвЂ™s route, a thought kept nagging at my head.

Katawa shoujo shizune route