Katawa Shoujo/YMMV

""Get in here, KS devs!""
 * Alternative Character Interpretation:
 * Kenji: While on the surface he looks like a Straw Misogynist He Man Woman Hater, there is a fairly good case for his being Armored Closet Gay and hiding behind his hatred of women and belief in conspiracies involving them to avoid acknowledging that he's attracted to men. More than a few Real Life Armored Closet Gay men have ostensibly had such views.
 * Another one for Kenji: is he the Conspiracy Theorist simply as a joke or a facade for his homosexuality, or is he a true believer in his hateful theories about women, which would imply either paranoid schizophrenia or the use of certain paranoia-inducing drugs?
 * Fan art frequently casts Hanako as a Yandere.
 * Hanako as a Stringy Haired Ghost Girl. Occasionally parodied in fanart.
 * Non-canon art casts Akira as being in The Mafia or the Yakuza. It helps that she appears to be a Badass in A Nice Suit.
 * Perhaps as a Fandom Nod, Lilly's route involves Kenji's suspicion that she has ties to the The Mafia.
 * On a more serious note, was Iwanako's ceasing her visits to Hisao six weeks into his hospitalization callous abandonment, or was it the result of Hisao pushing her away? Hisao's differing degrees of sympathy in each route add to this.
 * And the Fandom Rejoiced: When the game FINALLY got a confirmed released date.
 * Also, the announcement trailer confirmed that Miki would be in the game.
 * Now that it's finally out, its board of origin has gone completely ballistic, even spawning a minor CMOH from the last place on earth you'd expect:

"Lilly: "My, is that you, Hisao? I've not heard from you in some time. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me." (during Emi's route)"
 * Another meta one - the Soundtrack is now free to download.
 * Anvilicious: It's a dating sim. And you're a boy with a heart problem!
 * Audience Alienating Premise: It's a cripple porn Visual Novel from 4chan! Despite this (or because of it), it has become a Gateway Series for the Visual Novel genre.
 * Base Breaker: Which girl has the best route? Was it worth the wait? Is it even worth playing? The Hype Backlash does not help.
 * Two routes in particular are this trope.
 * Shizune's route is either a terribly written route lacking in romantic relations with an unlikable character, or a route with a more subdued, Slice of Life romance justified by the Hisao's and Shizune's characterization and trust in each other. Word of God states that many parts of her route,, 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.
 * Rin's route is either overly pretentious and Melodramatic as well as hard to understand due to Walls of Text and Purple Prose, or an awe-inspiring piece of literature that reaches huge Character Development for both of them and can be played easily if you pay a little more attention.
 * Better Than Canon: There is an entire category of fanfiction devoted to building upon Shizune's route in order to make the very subtle emotional element of their relationship more apparent to readers. Shizune's Epilogue and Weekend at Hisao's are the best known examples and are considered by many to be some of the best Katawa Shoujo fanfics out there.
 * Die for Our Ship: Poor Shizune seems to have suffered the misfourtune of being pratically set up of this. First, her route is very much an aquired taste, relying more on intellectual nuance, Foreshadowing and subtext than the "feels" that are common in other routes. Meaning that you need to play it a few times in order to truly get it. (The fact that it is the most linear route,, doesn't help matters.) Second, she is a Spirited Competitor to a degree that 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 The Rival to Lilly who is by far one of the most adored charecters in the game and whose route is seen as much smoother and sweeter  . Lastly, her best friend Misha is an Ensemble Darkhorse who doesn't have a route of her own  . 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 . And instead of competing with the other girls over Hisao, Shizune, along with Misha, is a Shipper On Deck in others's routes.
 * Also,
 * The problem with this, however, The player's feelings on Shizune's problems with communication and loneliness depend entirely on whether they found her Spirited Competitor character traits to be endearing or annoying.]]
 * Now that a few months have past since release, Lilly is also starting to get some of her share as well. Due in large part to her being so popular that fans of the other girls are starting to resent her a little bit.
 * Crossing the Line Twice: Averted. Since the original concept was quite possibly intended as edgy satire, one might expect the game to take this form. Instead, it'a a reasonably nuanced and respectful take on the subject.
 * Crowning Music of Awesome: Has its own page here.
 * Cult Classic: Odd, off-putting premise? Check. Enthusiastic (if small) fanbase? Check. Ignored or panned by mainstream reviewers? Check.
 * Ear Worm: A good portion, if not all, of the music from the soundtrack.
 * Empathic Environment: 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.
 * Ensemble Darkhorse:
 * Misha. A common question to the developers was (and still is) if she'll have her own route. She won't.
 * Hideaki. Even before he actually appeared in the game, he sure had a lot of fanart.
 * All the extras from Hisao's class that are not cameos, especially Miki.
 * Rika and Saki, the girls of the non-existent expansions from the 2011 April's Fool post.
 * Epileptic Trees: Misha's disability (or lack thereof) and the reason for her not having her own route is the source of much Wild Mass Guessing among fans. Observe.
 * Fan Disservice:
 * first H-scene is decidedly unsexy, as it reflects how
 * The same goes for - which makes sense when you reach the Good End and learn that
 * also has one of these instances.
 * Although not on the same level as the above three, some found one H-scene in to be this too. She and Hisao's   is so incredibly awkward for both of them that it becomes comical instead of titillating. Both repeatedly insist that they have no desire to try again.
 * Fan Dumb: There seems to be a fairly large proportion of the fanbase who feel the need to take a game about living life to the fullest and finding happiness despite your imperfections, and using it as an excuse to wallow in self-pity because they'll "never find a girl as perfect as X".
 * The large number of players unable to play another route after finishing one they particularly liked because they'd feel "like I'm cheating on X" edges between amusing and just sad.
 * Fan Haters: Every girl seems to have some, saying that you like Shizune or Rin is a good way to get yourself branded as pretentious and elitist, (with Shizune fans also getting the "pleasure" of being called spineless bottoms that get off on being dominated by bitchy women), Hanako fans are often accused of wanting a "dream girl" who is totally dependent on them, (which is Completly Missing The Point of her route, but when has that every stopped anyone.) If you are a Lilly fan, than you are a bandwagonner that lets the Internet do his thinking for him, going after the Mary Sue because she appeals to the Lowest Common Denominator. Like Misha, expect some smartass Captian Obvious to point that she doesn't have a route. Emi is the only that seems to be spared this
 * Fan Wank: Yuuko is speculated to have had a past relationship with Kenji.
 * Funny Aneurysm Moment: In Emi's route, she jokingly questions why Misha would hang out with someone as bossy as Shizune. In Shizune's route, you find out the real reason;.
 * Lilly often teases Akira about her cooking skills..
 * Gateway Series: Naturally, since it is a well-made English language Freeware Visual Novel. Let's just say that before this, significantly less people were aware that the Visual Novel genre existed.
 * About a week after its creation, the reddit group /r/katawashoujo had more readers than /r/visualnovels.
 * Heartbreaking in Hindsight:
 * The girls you didn't choose's brief appearances on other routes can be this if you've played their routes before, especially when you consider their psychological problems, which are not likely to be addressed.

"Jigoro: Now you are insulting my book and, by extension, my entire life. What gives you the right to do that? Arrogant. I'm trying to think of how I could make you understand my struggle. Maybe by beating you. With my autobiography."
 * Hate Dumb: Let's just say that there are Visual Novel fans who bash this game for trying to be realistic and evoke empathy and insult the fans for falling for this "trick". Not to mention all the people who bash this on the sole basis that this is a "cripple porn game" and troll the people who play it. Then there's the backlash on video game sites claiming that Visual Novels are not "video games."
 * There's also people who, unwilling to admit their first impression was wrong, go on nitpicking or mirror-climbing to say the game is bad regardless of its respect for the theme.
 * Also, while not many people may care for Shizune's route, and while even her fans admit that her attitude can be abrasive at times, the refusal of some to even consider the idea that she might have any redeeming qualities, or that any of her actions could possibly be interpretated in a positive light, borders on Ron the Death Eater levels.
 * Some people who dislike the game seem entirely unfamiliar with the concept of a visual novel, expecting something more akin to a game.
 * A common criticism of Lilly from haters is that she is an obvious Mary Sue and as such is a bad character due to it, when the whole point of her route is to show that she is not as perfect and infallible as she appears on the surface, and that she needs just as much help and support as the other girls, if not more. Even the other routes go out of their way to deconstruct the concept or avert it completely, with minimal presence in both Emi's and Rin's routes
 * Heartwarming in Hindsight: Late in Lilly's route,, she tells Hanako about how they became friends. Lilly says she did not befriend Hanako out of pity, but out of a desire to know more about her, and she considers her a strong person at heart who will be able to take charge of her own life . Lilly's statement becomes even more powerful when you consider that in Hanako's route, Hanako believes that Lilly and Hisao pity her.
 * Hell Is That Noise: Hisao's loud heartbeats whenever he gets a heart flutter or he gets a full-blown heart attack.
 * The sickening crunch in Act 1's Bad Ending when
 * Hilarious in Hindsight: In Rin's route, Hisao remarks on In Lilly's route
 * The "Who's there? ... No answer, must be that deaf bitch." meme regarding Lilly's rivalry with Shizune..
 * Ho Yay: Kenji. See Alternate Character Interpretation above.
 * Hype Backlash: Some fans were a bit disappointed that the game didn't live up to their expectations. However, this was probably unavoidable since the game had been continually building up hype for at least five years.
 * Inverted Trope: Rin gets a scholarship to attend an art school in Tokyo
 * Internet Backdraft:
 * Which is the best path/who is the best girl?
 * Or alternatively: Was it worth the wait? Is it even worth playing? Is it a respecful portrayal of disabled people, or badly-disguised "cripple porn"?
 * On a cold night simply just mention the name "Shizune", watch as the militant Shizu-haters declare her to be Worse than Hilter while the equally militant Shizu-brosis declare anyone who didn't like her route to be dull witted simpletons who are too stupid to understand it, and enjoy the s'mores.
 * "So I had a theory on/problem with Hanako's path—OH DEAR LORD!"
 * Bonus flame points if you dare to broach the subject of
 * cpl_crud posted a short story on a possible Distant Finale for Hanako's path, called "A Runner's Afternoon", in which the end of the first part implies that Hanako is cheating on her husband. (The truth is: ). There were more flames than Hanako's house fire when her fans accused cpl_crud of derailing her into an adulterer.
 * Come on, call Lilly a Mary Sue I dare you, I double dare you.
 * Les Yay: Of course, this is a game where the heroines come in pairs, so there's Les Yay in pretty much every route you take.
 * Lilly and Hanako: Their routes only split in the last choice of Act 1 and even then, in Lilly's ending you spend the festival, and the majority of later acts in both routes, with both of them. In Hanako's route, she says she "love(s)" Lilly in the scenes leading to her Good Ending. Lilly gives Hanako a hug in her early birthday party in both girls' routes, and in her own route, tells Hanako that she did not befriend her out of pity, but because of who she is, culminating in what appears to be a kiss on the forehead.
 * Emi and Rin: Emi, without any embarrassment, helps Rin get dressed, and helps her in the bathroom. Can't get much closer than that.
 * Misha and Shizune: Given that Misha is also Shizune's sign language interpreter, they are pretty much inseparable. Also, later in Shizune's route,.
 * Naomi and Natsume: It's right there in their concept picture.
 * Love to Hate: Jigoro gets this sometimes, due to his Jerkass nature being seen as over-the-top and comical.


 * Maybe Ever After: Good Ending is often seen as that.  can be too for some people, although to a much lesser extent.
 * However, 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.
 * Memetic Badass:
 * Emi as Horatio Caine.
 * Rin is the Crippled Master!
 * Akio Mutou.
 * The manly picnic Nonstandard Game Over has skyrocketed Kenji's popularity over the fandom.
 * Give Lilly a cane sword and you get Satouichi.
 * Memetic Molester:
 * The nurse. He actually jokes about seducing Hisao in Emi's route.
 * Inverted with Yuuko, a Memetic Molestee.
 * Played straight with Miki, but Molly often becomes a molestee.
 * Hachisame, a non-canon character with tentacle legs.
 * Nomiya. Several players thought he was going to molest Rin sooner or later.
 * Memetic Mutation: Has its own page here.
 * Moe Moe
 * Mood Whiplash: Coming after a particularly emotional scene (and usually INTO another), the light, upbeat music of the scene transition heart can definitely feel this way.
 * Ms. Fanservice: 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 rest of the girls, and
 * Add to the mix
 * Narm: Your mileage will vary.
 * Emi has what looks like a "rape face" when she.
 * Jigoro's Jerk Assery gets so cranked Up to Eleven that you simply cannot take him seriously. A little more subtlety, please.
 * Nightmare Fuel: Oh, how sweet! His crush is about to admit her feelings for him!
 * Periphery Demographic: This is yet another example of an Eroge managing to attract a surprisingly large female fanbase. There is also a good portion of the fandom that is under the age of 18 technically making them too young to legally download the game in many jurisdictions.
 * Rewatch Bonus: Shizune's route, in spades. Many aspects of it won't make sense unless you see all of the Foreshadowing or read it a second time. Part of the reason why it's such a Base Breaker.
 * Just look at the Fridge Brilliance section of the Fridge page. All the routes have this to some degree.
 * Scenery Porn: Dear God, yes. Plenty of the C Gs have this in them. Especially
 * Ship to Ship Combat: Pretty much comes with territory. While Lilly and Hanako have the largest camps, every girl has a strong following. Shizune fans in particular can be downright militant in their support, largely as a result of having to constantly battle the Hatedom the character has developed since release due to the Base Breaker nature of her route, and her rivalry with the much adored Lilly. This is somewhat interesting, considering.
 * The End or Is It: Hanako's Bad End is seen as this by many players, who do not view its outcome as completely negative.
 * The fanfic Reconciliation gives one possible scenario.
 * Unfortunate Implications: If by the time of the festival, Hisao still hasn't picked a girl, you are forced to drink with Kenji on the roof. He vents his troubles with women,.
 * Viewers Are Geniuses: The more subtle, subtext oriented style of writing in Shizune's route tends to go over many people's heads. At least on the first playthough anyway.
 * Visual Effects of Awesome: Many of the CGs are down right beautiful. Additionally, they made a different fully animated sequence for each of the five routes. For Freeware!
 * What the Hell Player: This one is very much a case of YMMV, but both of Hanako's bad endings could be interpreted as a silent (but extremely poignant) blaming finger raised towards players with White Knight tendencies. That is to say, the vast majority of players who chose the Hanako route... Basically, they say
 * The Woobie: Hanako.
 * Surprisingly, to many people, manages to fit this even MORE than Hanako. To be fair everyone, even the main character, has a woobie moment at one point in their routes.
 * in Shizune's route.
 * Wheelchair Woobie:
 * World of Woobie