Nekopie

Yes, I love the game. In fact, I’m currently using the Japanese translation as my first serious attempt to read in Japanese. I’m not sure if it’s fine to read translations instead of Japanese VNs for actual learning of the language though.
I hate to break it for most people, but I actually prefer Shizune over Hanako, perhaps because I finished Hanako’s route with her bad ending, which to be honest, was actually more interesting than her good ending, and also because she embodied in my mind the kind of personality I don’t want to have nor see in people I would meet. I’m not sure what did you found appealing of her, but for me, it felt much like I was a psychologist rather than a boyfriend, up to the point I seriously wanted to end this quickly, no matter the cost.
In short, she’s a awesome friend and a terrible girlfriend.
 
Regarding Shizune, I guess you need to finish the route in order to understand her. Unlike Hanako, you are supposed to learn to love yourself in order to love Shizune, which is essentialy the opposite people often expect for other heroines. I believe people fail to bond with other people because they hate themselves. Aside from Shzune, and Emi to a certain extent, no other route actually pointed this.
For me, feeling in an equal relationship feels better than healing the other in my relationship.
 
However, this is just my opinion. I don’t expect people to suddenly change their minds, to be honest.
I have a headcanon regarding her unpopularity, but it requires spoilers to understand it, so I will end my rant here.

I'm, strangely enough, in the process of slowly going through Katawa Shoujo for the first time... But I'm already pretty sure nothing's going to beat Hanako route for me, and Hanako as a heroine. While I think Lily's is plenty enjoyable, it just didn't have the same impact and strong theme. Seeing parts of Shizune's route now, I like its flow and the kind of ambivalent character Shizune herself is. I wonder if something is going to make me hate her like so many people do later on... 

I second Little Busters, and add CLANNAD to the list. The latter is exactly what you are asking for, and although pretty heavy on the feels, all routes have good endings.

First one that comes to mind is Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana.  The protagonist of this VN is completely altruistic, nearly to the point of madness.  The degree to which he loves the three heroines and his willingness to give of himself for their sake is enough to make me start crying just remembering it.
Evolimit's Shiranui Yoshikazu is definitely altruistic in the greater sense.  His decision as a child after 'meeting' Kokoro, his friendship with Shizuku, his relationship with Ritia, and his choice of how to live in order to be with Kazuha... in all the paths and in the course of the main route, he proves again and again that, under his mild perversion and manzai routine with Shizuku, his first thoughts are always of others.  There are no unavoidable bad/normal endings in this VN.  However, I will say that all the endings have their own flavor.
Nanairo Reincarnation's protagonist proves his altruism again and again at the important parts of the VN, though it is mostly directed at the spirits of the dead.  There are some sad endings to this, but you aren't required to read them, lol.
The protagonist of Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no (Tsukasa) is altruistic in the sense that he tries to be the ideal teacher to the girls of the school, even after he learns what kind of school it is.  This part of his nature comes from his own personal trauma, but it still is his nature.
Natsuiro Recipe is probably the one I would recommend the most for just being restful... the protagonist is altruistic and good-hearted, willing to act for the sake of a girl he'd never met.  The Vn itself is pretty peaceful and cute, which is why it made its way onto my Chicken Soup for the Soul list. 
The protagonist of World Election is altruistic, while not seeming so at first.  He honestly doesn't think of what he does as helping others, merely doing so naturally without having to consider it. 
Lovesick Puppies is the last one I have for this list of recommendations... it is a charage, but the protagonist is fundamentally altruistic, tending to put the wellbeing of others before himself, actually taking action to make it happen.  This can be seen the most in the common route.  This one and Natsuiro are the two most mild on this list.
 
If you want catharsis, I recommend you hit up Uruwashi no, Nanairo, Karenai Sekai, and/or Evolimit.  If you want inspiration, I'd go for Karenai Sekai or Evolimit.  If you want just to see normal people being normally altruistic, Natsuiro, World Election, and Lovesick Puppies are my recs. 

* Kono Oozora (If My Heart had Wings) . Pretty lighthearted. One of the more uplifting reads I've read.
* Aokana . Another VN about flying. Pretty lighthearted, with some hype flying duels.
* Little Busters . Really nails that "bunch of best friends" feel. Has some tearjerker scenes, but no dark themes. Music is really good.

I love challenges and dreaming, so…
 
Reaching JLPT N1.
Attempt to become a teacher.
Getting better at social life.
Try to read more books.
Start my own podcast.
Becoming a writer.
Learn a bit about VN programming. And making one, if I can.
Try to read 50 VNs or more. (I’m currently at 31 non-dropped VNs)
Be able to read a good Caramel Box VN. We need something more than the first Otoboku.
Owning a better PC. My current one really needs an upgrade.
Seeing more twists in VNs (more disabled characters, more environmental themes, more unique settings...)
 
Bonus: Making our environment great again.

I love challenges and dreaming, so…
 
Reaching JLPT N1.
Attempt to become a teacher.
Getting better at social life.
Try to read more books.
Start my own podcast.
Becoming a writer.
Learn a bit about VN programming. And making one, if I can.
Try to read 50 VNs or more. (I’m currently at 31 non-dropped VNs)
Be able to read a good Caramel Box VN. We need something more than the first Otoboku.
Owning a better PC. My current one really needs an upgrade.
Seeing more twists in VNs (more disabled characters, more environmental themes, more unique settings...)
 
Bonus: Making our environment great again.

I love challenges and dreaming, so…
 
Reaching JLPT N1.
Attempt to become a teacher.
Getting better at social life.
Try to read more books.
Start my own podcast.
Becoming a writer.
Learn a bit about VN programming. And making one, if I can.
Try to read 50 VNs or more. (I’m currently at 31 non-dropped VNs)
Be able to read a good Caramel Box VN. We need something more than the first Otoboku.
Owning a better PC. My current one really needs an upgrade.
Seeing more twists in VNs (more disabled characters, more environmental themes, more unique settings...)
 
Bonus: Making our environment great again.

I know it’s a bit overrated, but when I played Katawa Shoujo, I got emotionally attached to it for several reasons.
First, because I have a developmental disability which forced me to take medication every day. At first I was sad that this will destroy my already scarce interactions with people, but after I saw the protagonist managing to bond with the girls, I realized that this is by no means the worst thing that could happen to me, and I begun to have faith in humanity.
Second, I wasn’t interested into mainstream media, and this gave me an escape to the norms I was supposed to follow.
And I know this will sound weird, but even though this is an American VN, I was sick of most mainstream movies, since I found most of them are extremely violent (when I started the game), so KS showed that there is an alternative to the “American way of life” of becoming happy. As my mother said when we where in a cultural festival, “you see most American movies filled with death and violence, whereas you enjoy something that is more peaceful”.
Sorry for not bringing anything else, university and a severe block stopped me from actualy enjoying another VN, let alone try an untranslated one.

I know it’s a bit overrated, but when I played Katawa Shoujo, I got emotionally attached to it for several reasons.
First, because I have a developmental disability which forced me to take medication every day. At first I was sad that this will destroy my already scarce interactions with people, but after I saw the protagonist managing to bond with the girls, I realized that this is by no means the worst thing that could happen to me, and I begun to have faith in humanity.
Second, I wasn’t interested into mainstream media, and this gave me an escape to the norms I was supposed to follow.
And I know this will sound weird, but even though this is an American VN, I was sick of most mainstream movies, since I found most of them are extremely violent (when I started the game), so KS showed that there is an alternative to the “American way of life” of becoming happy. As my mother said when we where in a cultural festival, “you see most American movies filled with death and violence, whereas you enjoy something that is more peaceful”.
Sorry for not bringing anything else, university and a severe block stopped me from actualy enjoying another VN, let alone try an untranslated one.

I know it’s a bit overrated, but when I played Katawa Shoujo, I got emotionally attached to it for several reasons.
First, because I have a developmental disability which forced me to take medication every day. At first I was sad that this will destroy my already scarce interactions with people, but after I saw the protagonist managing to bond with the girls, I realized that this is by no means the worst thing that could happen to me, and I begun to have faith in humanity.
Second, I wasn’t interested into mainstream media, and this gave me an escape to the norms I was supposed to follow.
And I know this will sound weird, but even though this is an American VN, I was sick of most mainstream movies, since I found most of them are extremely violent (when I started the game), so KS showed that there is an alternative to the “American way of life” of becoming happy. As my mother said when we where in a cultural festival, “you see most American movies filled with death and violence, whereas you enjoy something that is more peaceful”.
Sorry for not bringing anything else, university and a severe block stopped me from actualy enjoying another VN, let alone try an untranslated one.

Different people have different ways to learn something, so my advice is to figure out which method works the best for you.
Some people need visual cues to learn something, some people need to listen to it, and some others need to put in practice what they are learning to understand it. There may be more ways to learn something than the ones I've listed.
If you manage to understand your personal way to learn, apply it to Japanese and you will progress.

This happened to me two times. The first one was with FSN, where I only managed to read a fraction of the Fate route before I dropped it. Then one year later, I reread it, skipping what I've already read and managed to finish it for once.
The next one was Eien no Aselia, which I dropped after getting a silly game over, only for me to try it again later and finish it.
Then there are VNs I dropped without me reattempting to read so far. Most of them were either nukige or VNs I couldn't enjoy, regardless of how many time I invested into them (Daibanchou, G senjou and Kamidori). The only exception so far is Rose Guns Days, due to its episodic nature (I only read the first season so far) and me having to prioritize other things in RL.

Well, I've been alternating between reading VNs and other activities, such as Japanese learning. As a result, I might spend some months without reading anything.
As for my favorite titles, if we talk about VNs, they are:
Aoishiro
Corpse Party - Blood Covered (I prefer the PC98 version for reasons I will reveal in my next topic)
FSN
Katawa Shoujo
Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru (I really want to read the sequel, although I haven't took it seriously yet)
Rose Guns Days (I've only played the first season, but I plan to read the next ones)
Tsukihime
(Now that I think about it, I wonder how should I create my VNDB account, and its VN list.)
For games, I mostly play the Touhou games and occasionally other danmaku games.
Also, I'm surprised there was someone else with this name. Guess I'll need an image. (Once I know how to add one)

Two years ago (which is when I was playing RGD) I was slacking too much with my university tasks, so I needed to focus on them. As a result, I stopped playing VNs until 2 months ago, and I've already choosed Enigma to play.
Neverthless, I changed it to "Playing" since I plan to resume it eventually.
Thank you for the tip. I'll check whether some VNs' votes must be changed.

Hello everyone, my name is Nekopie. I started with visual novels six years ago after finishing Daemonophilia and Katawa Shoujo. In addition, I am studying Japanese, currently having passed JLPT N4.
I hope we can get along.

Hello everyone, my name is Nekopie. I started with visual novels six years ago after finishing Daemonophilia and Katawa Shoujo. In addition, I am studying Japanese, currently having passed JLPT N4.
I hope we can get along.