4chan instantly took to the concept and began developing the game in earnest, taking care to present the disabilities in a realistic and respectful way. The page showed several young women with disabilities: blindness (Lilly), major burn scars and accompanying mental/emotional trauma (Hanako), deafness (Shizune), legs amputated below the knee (Emi) and missing arms (Rin). The concept is based entirely on a single-page ◊ omake by doujinshi artist RAITA (aka the character designer for Valkyria Chronicles). "Katawa" is actually a Japanese word meaning "imperfect" or literally, "one wheel" (not a polite word to use, it has about the same connotations as "crippled." See Intentionally Awkward Title below). Instead of being shallow escapism, the end result is a well-written coming-of-age drama with self-acceptance as a central theme. Special care is taken to defy the stock character archetypes that regularly crop in anime, instead portraying Hisao and his friends as flawed, impetuous young people with relatable fears and struggles. In broader terms, the game actively deconstructs the more implausible and unsavory cliches associated with the Dating Sim genre. The subject matter is handled very tastefully, with Hisao's newfound friends not only being complex and engaging, but also challenging the stereotypes associated with their disabilities. Despite his initial feelings of alienation and difficulty fitting in, Hisao comes to befriend his new classmates while pursuing a romantic relationship with one of the five girls he has class with.Ĭontrary to what that synopsis would suggest, the game is much more thoughtful and mature than it initially lets on.
Hisao Nakai, an ordinary teenager living an ordinary life, has it turned upside down when a congenital heart defect forces him to attend a new school after a long stay in the hospital. It's also an eroge, though the explicit content is a small part of the overall game and can be disabled if the player so chooses. Katawa Shoujo ( かたわ少女, translated as "Cripple Girls") is an English-language Bishoujo Game Visual Novel developed by 4 Leaf Studios using the Ren'Py engine.
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