Katawa Shoujo’s 5th anniversary was this last week, and I just had to do something for it. Yes that’s right - 5 years since Katawa Shoujo came out! For myself it has been almost the same amount of time since I first played it, and it means just as much to now as it did back then, but for different reasons.

Katawa Shoujo changed my life in certain ways. It was the first visual novel I had ever played, and the stories in it had a big impact on me - so much so that I made several animations based on them.

Now it’s honestly been years since I’ve opened the game, but Katawa Shoujo is still a part of my life in a different way. I’ve made lots of great friends and drawn so much because of this game - it’s hard to imagine where I’d be right now if I had never discovered it. While most of the KS art that I create is commissioned, every piece brings me great joy to draw because I know it means something special to at least that one person. It’s because of this that the characters will always hold a special place in my heart - not just because of their stories, but because of what they represent beyond that to you and me.

Even though KS has been talked about to death at this point, it always remains as the glue that holds the community together - the reason we all found eachother. And every piece of writing or art that is made is another special reminder of all these things. So here’s to another 5 years of memories.