Talk:Lilly's route/@comment-46184460-20200625145338
I think I agree with everyone when they say that Lilly’s route was the best and that she is best girl. What made this route work in my opinion was the fact that not only was the story well-executed, but Lilly herself was also very compatible with Hisao. Hanako’s story had a little too much Lilly and she herself was a tad-bit too shy for an also shy Hisao to be his best. Emi was almost the complete opposite of Hisao, but it wasn’t a very conflicting opposite and the story was also well-done so as a whole the route was good. Rin’s route was very well executed but she herself probably can’t relate to Hisao at all. Shizune was kind-of compatible, but the story wasn’t that great so the route was weak overall.
Going back to Lilly, the story was very well-written and executed in my opinion. The story never at once felt boring, stale or slow. A good variety (I believe by far the most of any route) of locations contributed to that and made the story feel like an adventure and avoided the excessive use of the Shanghai that a lot of other routes did. Lilly’s route also had great side-characters, with Akira being my favorite in the entire game. Hanako also helped pad out the story a bit, and I actually believe that Lilly’s route was actually the best route for Hanako, and not her own route. Hanako eventually starts getting out and making friends by herself and she seemed more developed by the end of Lilly’s route than her own. Also, the Hokkaido part of this route alone could probably top some of the other routes in this game. I also very much enjoyed the dinner date in Act 4, in fact if I recall correctly, Lilly is the only girl that Hisao goes out on normal dates with.
Lilly herself was also a great character. I strongly believe without a doubt that Lilly is by-far, the most compatible girl for Hisao. Lilly’s personality aligns very well with Hisao, and they share the most commonality compared to all the others. Lilly isn’t overly shy like Hanako, full throttle like Emi, complex as Rin, or aggressive as Shizune. In-fact, I can’t really name a single flaw/incompatibility with Lilly and her personality other than she perhaps was a little reserved in admitting her love for Hisao. I thought it was clear that what Hisao desired most out of his friends was a sense of stability, or normality. This makes sense as Hisao just had his life completely flipped after his heart attack, and is now bitter, alone in a new school, and struggling to accept his disability. So, Lilly, who is kind and caring, popular, and has fully accepted and adapted to her disability, makes a perfect friend and match for Hisao.
The only few flaws I could maybe point out in their relationship is that Lilly didn’t really need Hisao as much as Hisao needed Lilly. Unlike Emi, Rin or Hanako, who either benefitted greatly from their relationship with Hisao, or straight-up got saved by Hisao and gained a brighter future, Lilly is much less dependent. Part of this probably comes from the fact that Lilly isn’t an emotionally broken person like the other girls are. Hisao isn’t completely useless to Lilly as she once remarks that she doesn’t keep many close friends, and she doesn’t have any friends that look out for her despite her looking out for them. So Hisao being and doing both definitely still provided some worth to Lilly. One definite drawback of their relationship however is just how many heart attacks Lilly gives Hisao. Two minor attacks and one hospitalization. Hisao is without a doubt, at the most risk of dying in this route. Maybe it’s because Lilly is so hot, but it’s hard to enjoy her beauty when you’re getting three heart attacks a year.
The imagery/symbolism in this story was also very well done. Lilly’s confession in the wheat fields was an exceptionally beautifully drawn scene. The good ending as a whole was amazing. Whoever thought of adding in the music box that Hisao gave to Lilly as Hisao woke up from the heart attack deserves a medal. The final image of Hisao and Lilly holding hands as they walk down a green hill is one of my favorites in this entire game and is just so heartwarming.
Lilly’s route gets a solid 9/10 in my opinion. The good ending gets an even higher 9.5/10 just because of how great those final scenes were. This was my favorite of all the routes. Calling this route “canon” is more difficult however. Lilly definitely encompasses the theme and feel of this game better than any girl. But, Hisao doesn’t really learn how to move past his disability just yet and he is in the worst shape out of all the routes (except maybe Kenji’s lmao). I would place Emi’s route as the “most canon” because Hisao accepts his condition and shortened lifespan and gets healthier and stronger than in the other routes. Although lemon girl definitely doesn’t capture the feel of Katawa Shoujo as strongly as Lilly.
