Katawa Shoujo Podcast

Copyright: © The Katawa Shoujo Podcast by Benjamin Chrobak-Prince is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at http://katawashoujopodcast.blogspot.com/

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Auditions and Callbacks Oct 02, 2012

Show notes

So, my choir teacher made me audition for the school musical this year. I was not prepared in the slightest! There were plenty of people there that have acting experience and I'm just the underdog trying to get a part. I got motivated last second by my choir teacher because I was thinking about giving up.
I was extremely surprised when I got called back for today, it was surreal. I didn't have a monologue prepared for the audition, so I just got one quickly off the internet so I could learn it and do some faces. I'm so ready to get the part of pimp daddy Marcus Lycus.

Live Stream! Sep 29, 2012

Show notes

So I'm getting Edward/Azunyan to do a stream for the entertainment of my friends and I, so if any of you have the chance, you should drop by!
We're gonna be streaming Gravity Falls (completely unrelated to KS, I know), which is a great show everyone should watch, so come on by!

havocker on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

A short introduction of myself. Sep 28, 2012

Show notes

Hey everyone, this is my first time writing on the cast blog so far, so I decided to would do a short introduction of myself while I'm wasting away at mandatory, government-enforced education bored at school. So here we go.
My name is Kevin, I'm sure you've heard a lot from me from the first three podcast episodes we have out so far. My waifu is Shizune (check out Episode 3 to listen to me defend myself against the angry Hanabros).
...and that's all I have to say for myself at the current moment. I may do a Q&A if there is demand for it because I like answering questions. Unfortunately I won't be in a few episodes following 3 because my mouth had some issues, but I should be back to tango very soon.
I hope you are enjoying our endeavors. Cheers.
Signin out,
Kevin
P.S. SHI-HAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL

**KS Cast 003- Waifu of the Week: Shizune!** Sep 25, 2012
Show notes
Click on the title to download the podcast. Show notes after the break.
Who needs a girlfriend when you have a Waifu? Ben and Kevin intimately discuss Katawa Shoujo with friends, as well as other big news stories that matter to them, and sometimes just their feelings.

Episode 003- Waifu of the Week: Shizune! Ben, Kevin, and Luis give their impressions of Shizune Hakamichi. They talk first impressions, plot holes, and question Hidekai's gender.
Katawa Shoujo Forums: "Why I like Shizune's route." by themocaw- http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6690
Intro Song- Spin by Juno & delta Outro Song- Three Stars by NicolArmarfi
katawashoujopodcast.blogspot.com katawa-shoujo.com http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/katawa-shoujo-podcast/id561442049
Katawa Shoujo is ©2007-2012 Four Leaf Studios

**Welcome to Anime Spotlight! desu~** Sep 23, 2012
Show notes

Anime~Desu!
Okay, let's be serious right now. We all watch anime here. We all love anime. We all love our Waifus. But of course there is always that moment where you finish a anime and think to yourself, "Oh my god it's over." And then the feels come and we tell ourselves....

"What to do? Its over."

There is still Hope!
Let's face it, the hardest thing after finishing an anime is looking for another anime to take its spot. But here we all have watched tons and tons of different anime shows. Some were amazing, some were weird, some were epic and others... Well others were just SOOO ADORABLEE~Desuu~

Nyaa~

But the point is, why bother doing the tiresome search for a new anime that fits you and your style? So here I am, Azunyan, nya~ nya~~ To help you guys get a bit of a head start in what anime you might want to watch. This Week's Anime Spotlight is.......
Kore Wa Zombie Desu~ka!

KoreWa Zombie Desu Ka (Is this a Zombie?) is one hell of a anime. This anime is about Aikawa Ayumu a ZOMBIEEEE!! (DUN DUN DUN wow what a surprise ) Aikawa was just a normal person when suddenly he meets a very cute but very strange "Necromancer" named Eucliwood Hellscythe. And no, Eul did not kill him and make him a zombie ( I wish though.) But Aikawa was murdered and Eul was a Hero and brought him to life a zombie. Now Aikawa has to live his "peaceful" life as a zombie while trying to avoid AWESOME CRAZY NINJAS. AND SUPER WEIRD MAHOU SHOUJOS!!!.
Not only does this anime brings some "school life" genre but also the "super natural" genre. But most importantly, the "comedy." This anime is a very, very funny anime to watch and leaves me in laughs everytime. The best part is that this anime has 2 SEASON!!! Yay 2x the zombie.
Info

Anime series: 2 seasons (12 episodes first season, 10 the second season, 2 OVAS)

Genre: Action, SuperNatural, Mahou Shoujo, Comedy, Ecchi.

Rating: 10/10

Thats all for today Desuu~~~~
This has been Azunyan and the very first "Anime Spotlight".

And See you next time!~
Nya Nya~~

**A Selection of Other Recommended Visual Novels** Sep 22, 2012
Show notes

If you're anything like the rest of us (and chances are, you are, since you're here), then you were likely left with a feeling of “what next?” after completing Katawa Shoujo. No more choices left to make; no more memories left to create. It may sound like I'm being sarcastic, but I'm not. It was a pretty hollow feeling I had once it was over.
Fortunately, Katawa Shoujo is just one in a sea of excellent visual novels out there, all exploring similar themes, or at least having the same feels-laden effects. While I'll never be one to say that you should spend your time on the computer as opposed to working out, learning an instrument, or meeting new people (all common results of reading KS), it is nice to know that there's always something new you can dive into to try to reclaim that feeling.
Before I get started on a few other, highly-recommended visual novels, I want to say one thing: I won't post download links here (unless the program is freeware to begin with). Make your own decisions about piracy, but know that these companies do rely on their games selling to keep making more. With that said, fan-made English patches, which are necessary for most VN's, are almost always free to download, so don't hesitate to post those here. I might, if I can find any links. With all that out of the way, the first feels-heavy visual novel on our list is...
Symphonic Rain.

Symphonic Rain is famous for a couple reasons. One is for being an absolute pain to patch to English. Another is for being well-worth the effort. The story follows Chris Verittin (don't quote me on spelling, there) a musical prodigy who has the rare ability of being able to play an instrument called the fortell. Separated by a great distance from his girlfriend Ari, he has few friends at the prestigious music school he attends. One of the few is Ari's younger sister, Torta. The other is Phorni, a "sprite of music" with whom he shares his life and apartment. While she's got a wonderful singing voice, nobody else can see or hear her. He's quite sure of the little fairy's existence, though.
During the events of the game, he also meets Falsita, an extremely talented and renowned vocalist, as well as Lise, a freshman and amateur vocalist. These two characters, along with Torta, make up the three initially-playable routes, with a couple extras that can be unlocked as these ones are finished . The basic premise of the plot revolves around Chris' laziness, especially when it comes to finding a vocalist with whom he can partner up for his end of the year, graduation recital. With the opportunity to meet three skilled vocalists in game, well... I think you can see where this is going.
Originally released in 2004, the game has stood up well, consistently ranking highly in visual novel popularity charts. One of the crowning achievements of Kogado Studios, it's also one of a very limited number of their works to have been translated to English. Like a couple of their other VN's, Symphonic Rain also includes a rhythmic, music-playing minigame in which the reader must play along with certain songs. It's kinda like Guitar Hero, on a keyboard. For those who don't enjoy it, though, the option is available to set the game to auto-mode.
With a grand total of six routes, each of varying lengths, the game is about medium length. It contains no nudity or sexual content, nor strong language, earning it an "All Ages" rating.
Clannad
In the world of anime and visual novels, one that's always spoken of with hushed tones and words of reverie is Clannad. One of several masterpieces by Key, the company that pioneered the nakige, or "crying game," genre, Clannad is also the most renowned.
The main character is Tomoya Okazaki, a good-for-nothing high school student who may not even be able to graduate. A few months into his senior year, he meets a variety of girls who just might be able to change him. They are, in order from left to right according to the above image: Fuko Ibuki, Kotomi Ichinose, Kyou Fujibayashi, Nagisa Furakawa, and Tomoyo Sakagami. Nagisa's is the "main" route of the game, and the anime adaptation focuses on her story.
Intermittently, throughout all the routes, strange scenes taking place in a world that has ended occur. In these scenes, there are but two characters: a sentient doll, constructed of junk, and the girl who made him. They are the only two left in this desolate place, which sparkles with lights that promise of another, better world.
Key seamlessly blends these two worlds together, using the unique mixture of realism and magic that only they seem to be able to get right. Throughout the different routes, and even the non-romantic ones, the reader learns more and more about Tomoya and about each character, as they collect mysterious "orbs of light." All the secrets are revealed in the second half of the already lengthy game, entitled "After Story." (Note that these are all part of the same story; there is no second disk or anything). After Story is a continuation of the primary Nagisa route, and widely hailed as much better than the preceding half of the game, which is known as the School Life arc.
It's very much a slice-of-life VN, but so was Katawa Shoujo. It's also a helluva time commitment. The most popular path guide online is titled the "Clannad 300 Hour Guide," and that name may not be inaccurate. With approximately 11 arcs, all of considerable length, in just the School Life arc alone, Clannad earns a "very long" description. It's well worth it, though - there's a reason the game holds the number two spot for VN rankings, just below Muv-Luv. Clannad contains some language, no nudity, and some sexual content, but nothing too explicit. It's appropriate for all ages, just with some discretion.
For those who are interested in the story but don't want to put forth the time required to play through the VN, Kyoto Animation has also made an excellent anime adaptation that touches on each of the routes, while primarily focusing on Nagisa's. Between Clannad and the Clannad: After Story series, there are about 50 episodes, with a number of OVA's, and a movie that covers both seasons.
In addition, Key released a spin-off game entitled "Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life," which focuses entirely on the popular character of Tomoyo Sakagami and what things would've been like if she were the main character. An English patch for the game was just released yesterday, so I haven't had the chance to read it yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Yume Miru Kusuri - A Drug That Makes You Dream
While it's widely hailed as a great beginner VN, I'll be honest - I don't think that highly of YMK. However, it needs to be mentioned, solely for what its done for the medium.
One of the first Japanese VN's to be translated to English, YMK was popular before KS was even an idea, some five or so years ago. The creators wanted to make a game focusing on issues that they thought would be relevant to high school students, such as sex, drugs, and bullying.
They succeeded, but the results can be seen as a little extreme.
The main character is Kouhei Kagame. He's a fairly ordinary high school student, with no remarkable traits, save his feeling of emptiness. Suddenly, his whole world is turned upside down when he meets three remarkable girls. They are Aeka, the exchange student who is perpetually bullied, Mizuki, the student council president who is bored of life, and Nekoko, who claims to be a fairy.
Kouhei's own problems are quickly put into perspective as he gets to know these three girls and has to save them from their own issues. Not, of course, without a gratuitous amount of sex involved, though.
The game does a good job of making you feel for the characters. I'll give it that much. I damn near cried a number of times in Aeka's route, and even shed a tear or two at times. However, the game is stuffed with a lot of sex. While I've got no problem with sexual content, this was disgustingly much. As such, I only completed Aeka's route and got only part of the way through Mizuki's, never even touching Nekoko's.
So, why is it considered such a great beginner's VN? I'm honestly not sure. It's got moments of feels, moments of humor, and moments that really make you question your own existence. That much is true. Still though, for me, YMK felt like a chore to read at times, and my mentioning it here is more or less obligatory. I know a lot of people love it all the same, and if you enjoy it, more power to you. Come back and let the rest of us know how it was.
With three routes of I-Don't-Know-How-Long length, YMK is still just a medium length VN. It's got lots of nudity, lots of strong language, and lots of sexual content, making it for mature audiences only.
Obviously, this is only a tiny sample of what's waiting for you in the wonderful world of visual novels. However, these were some of the most frequently recommended VN's when I looked for a place to vanish to after KS, and are some of the most popular novels around. For what it's worth, Symphonic Rain is my favorite in the world. These three, along with Katawa Shoujo, have played a huge role in bringing me to where I am today, and I'd love to hear that they do the same for you, too.
Disagree with my taste? See something I said that was incorrect? Just wanna chat? Feel free to do so in the comments. Any feedback is much appreciated, as this is my first time blogging.

**KS Cast 002- What is Love?** Sep 18, 2012
Show notes
Click on the title to download the podcast. Show notes after the break.
Who needs a girlfriend when you have a Waifu? Ben and Kevin intimately discuss Katawa Shoujo with friends, as well as other big news stories that matter to them, and sometimes just their feelings.

Episode 002- What is Love?
Ben and Kevin discuss their very small experiences with the dating game, along with guests David and Fernando. What is a valid "relationship"? What is the right age to start dating? Why doesn't Emi exists? These question probably won't be answered!
And then later on in the show, Fernando reads his short guide "How to Pick Up Girls", Kat talks about being approached by older men, and Ben tells the tale of Leeza and the Homeless Man!
Intro Song- Spin by Juno & delta
Outro Song- Romance in Andante II by NicolArmarfi
iTunes Feed: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/katawa-shoujo-podcast/id561442049
katawashoujopodcast.blogspot.com
katawa-shoujo.com
Katawa Shoujo is ©2007-2012 Four Leaf Studios

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