>>1920136Yeah it's pretty rough. Before Katawa Shoujo I hadn't been into anime or VNs either (and I'm still not that into it). I honestly just downloaded it because it it popped up on BitGamer one day and said it was made in English so I didn't have to change my computer Unicode settings or whatever so I decided to give it a shot. Once I found out it was about crippled girls and the idea took off on 4chan, I knew I had to get it if only for a good laugh.
In addition to the "not being into anime thing", I also hadn't felt anything for a long time before I played this game. I never really felt attached to anyone I knew besides a few friends of mine. I hadn't cried, I hadn't loved, and I realized I really hadn't felt happy in years. I laughed and joked a lot but never really felt genuinely happy.
Over the course of her route, I found myself really caring for Hanako. I wanted her to be happy. I didn't want her to feel alone anymore. It took me a few days to read through all of it, and during my classes I would think about her and how she was doing without me. At the same time I knew it was sort of ridiculous, after all, she was just a character in a story. But when I got home she was there waiting for me. Waiting for me to help her along and support her through everything. I felt a real connection with her, almost like she was real.
After her good ending, I was broken. I cried for a long time and even after I was finished crying I still felt a bunch of strange feelings.
