9 thoughts on “Katawa Shoujo… why?! (Plus EM Updates and a game!)”

1. Just wanted to make a quick comment since I caught the shouting over KS on the Planet feed…

   You are free to disprove of KS of course, but give the inspiration that’s drawn from it a free pass. Inspiration is not only personal, but it is a positive force that should be welcomed and nurtured irregardless of its origins. If anything comes of it, that’s one more EVN that exists than would have existed without that inspiration. And that’s a plus. If the inspired person goes on to make something that you enjoy, either the first or later times around, then that’s a double plus.

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2. Ah, but poorly planned and nearly direct copies are rather bothersome. Like I said before, there are a lot of better things to be inspired by, and that it’s something like KS doing the “inspiring” is just sad.

   Besides that, the KS craze has led to quite a few poorly organized groups popping up. Groups that I’d say have an even lower chance of success than regular groups. This is going to lead to a crash, and…

   Let’s put it this way:
   Nobody enjoys watching a car crash. Well… unless… unless they happen to enjoy watching cars crash XD

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3. I think I’ll agree with the first person and add a bit.

   Thing is, yes you’re free to dislike whatever you want, but people are free to be inspired by whatever they want as well.

   Second, just because they’re doing something like KS, doesn’t mean it will be the same VN or worse quality. Since when is an idea copyrighted? They say themselves it’s “inspired by” and add their own interpretation; that could be interesting.

   Also,when people do get inspired by something other than KS, it doesn’t mean their work will get better. It takes skill and experience in the first place to SEE what is a good design and what isn’t.

   Furthermore, being inspired by KS may not be that bad for our image; it may actually shed a good light on western VNs, right?

   And finally, it’s not nice to tell people what they should do based on personal preference or to publicly get angry at another’s success :’). It doesn’t actually improve your own image either. I understand your feelings, but rage to a friend or something to prevent being frowned upon ^^~

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4. So, in order, I suppose. XD

   Ah, but I’m not required to like the way in which they’re “inspired.”

   Ah, yes. Execution matters more than originality. The problem? The execution of all of these projects that I’ve seen is incredibly poor. Everyone’s certainly entitled to their opinions, but I find it hard to believe that any of the projects I’ve seen will actually succeed. This is not a good thing for the VN community. Why? Because some good people are going to get dragged into the mix, and get burned. A higher ratio of failure is going to cause a crash in interest, when it comes to VNs.

   I suppose the paragraph above addressed the third point as well, so I’ll just skip to the 4th XD

   Now, I’m not upset that KS was successful. What upsets me, in a sort of “Oh, what things are coming to these days…” way would be some of the things it’s caused indirectly. As for bringing this up, I’m fine if someone decides to think less of me for this. I’m just voicing my own opinion on the matter. This was more than something to “get out of my system.” It was something I thought was worth flashing to as many people as would happen to see it. Anyway, as a lot of people like to say, “Whatever you do, you’re going to upset someone,” so I’ll choose to avoid upsetting myself, even if that involves upsetting a couple others. XD

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5. —”Ah, but I’m not required to like the way in which they’re “inspired.””

   Nope, but I explained at the bottom why you should consider how you do it, and this is more meant as a “don’t belittle others for being inspired by something they like” than anything else.

   —”Ah, yes. Execution matters more than originality. The problem? The execution of all of these projects that I’ve seen is incredibly poor. Everyone’s certainly entitled to their opinions, but I find it hard to believe that any of the projects I’ve seen will actually succeed. This is not a good thing for the VN community. Why? Because some good people are going to get dragged into the mix, and get burned. A higher ratio of failure is going to cause a crash in interest, when it comes to VNs.”

   That has nothing to do with Katawa Shoujo though, there are tons of projects not being executed ‘well’ like you describe, which aren’t even close to KS. This entirely depends on other skills such as management and teamwork.

   What I meant with good influence is the fact that people get inspired by a western VN like KS to begin with and act upon that.

   —”Now, I’m not upset that KS was successful. What upsets me, in a sort of “Oh, what things are coming to these days…” way would be some of the things it’s caused indirectly.”

   What you said in the post seemed like you were bashing on KS directly, look at this:

   —-”What angers me? Well, that would be that it’s KATAWA SHOUJO that’s inspiring them. KS? There are much, MUCH better games than KS. That so many games should be “inspired by KS” instead of “inspired by Clannad” or “inspired by [insert other VN of merit]” makes me feel like crying…”

   Moving on;

   —”This was more than something to “get out of my system.” It was something I thought was worth flashing to as many people as would happen to see it.”

   Why? To tell them not to be inspired by KS? I don’t see any other use of mentioning it here.

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6. Alright, in point order again then:

   I’m not so much “belittling” people as I am bothered by what things have come to.
   In other words: “So it has come to this…” http://xkcd.com/1022/

   Ah, but it does. You see, when people want to make a VN, they tend to be a bit more versed and experienced, but the percentage of the population that is interested in making a VN because of KS is of generally lower quality. KS has inspired a lot of people that don’t have the commitment or the common sense to successfully create a VN to come out of the wood works. This leads to a flood that drains resources from other areas, in addition to adding to the general confusion of things.

   Ah, that wasn’t really intended as bashing. Not being as good as Clannad or other classics is almost to be expected. There is a reason that they’re some of the best visual novels out there. It’s because of this that I find it somewhat depressing that KS is the thing that is “inspiring” a lot of people.

   Ah, the use of mentioning it? It’s a warning, more than anything. I already know that some people have been burned as a result of “joining” these projects without examining them under more scrutiny. When looking at projects/groups seeking members, “Inspired by Katawa Shoujo” is very much a red flag in my book, right up there with “We are recruiting for all positions.”

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   • Mhh… I think I get you better now.

     Well to me it seemed a little like KS bashing, but then I misunderstood. In general you make a good point.

     I think you meant to say that people who raise such projects usually only play KS and then jump into the VN scene without any knowledge at all? That’s something you should avoid in general .

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7. The thing is, your argument could be made with anything. Replace KS with any other popular and/or well-regarded visual novel, and the same argument still holds weight. I’ve seen a number of different iterations of this already. Tsukihime was a big one, Fate brought some people in, Higuarshi/Umineko was big for a spell, and even Clannad has a number of homages and fan games in the EVN scene already. All of these things have brought people in and inspired them, like KS, and as a consequence, have inspired people who can’t or won’t follow through with their inspiration when things get tough. That’s just human nature, not anything specific to KS. And it really isn’t happening at any greater frequency thanks to KS either.

   It feels to me like this is just a bit of a knee-jerk reaction because KS has the most presence at the moment. It’s current, it’s talked about, it’s very in-your-face right now because it’s just the newest thing there is. It is hard to see past, but it doesn’t bring with it any crowds or types games and vns before it haven’t. It’s just the most pronounced at present. It’ll fade with time, and something new will crop up, and it’ll bring all the same things KS did and KS’ predecessors did… it really truly isn’t a KS specific event. So, it makes this pounce upon KS look like either using a very accessible example thanks to it being the most recent and *temporarily* prominent one, or embittered anger against its popularity.

   And by all means, hate KS. You are allowed. I’d recommend not hating it for other people though. It isn’t worth the stress headaches.

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   • Ah, yes…. the ability to remain cool is certainly an admirable trait. Let’s just say that I have my, eh… pet peeves. Anyway, that’s certainly a thought worth considering, although it doesn’t change the fact that each time I see something like that, I cringe a little, and I wouldn’t be cringing as much if it had said something like “Inspired by Fate Stay Night.” That being said, and game that says it’s “inspired by [game title]” and lists that as a “feature” is always incredibly suspect, and people should make sure to watch their backs. It’s a wild world out there!

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