To give full credit, these commentaries may be some of the funniest and most thoughtful DVD extras anywhere. While these things sometimes have the feel of a throwaway, in this instance they have substance and depth. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into the writing and production, and that the seiyuu are having a terrific time recording them.
On that note, the highlight of the first commentary (episode 9) is probably hearing Kana Hanazawa do her Ayana Taketatatsu impression – in the guise of Kuroneko doing her Kirino impression. The girls are totally in the spotlight on this release, with Kirino and the Dark Kitty joined by Saori. This was the episode that showed everyone “behind-the-scenes” as it were, and all the girls have something to be embarrassed about. Saori’s Oujo-sama outing is brief, but Kuroneko and Kirino go at it hammer & tongs pretty much for the entire 12 minutes, fighting over the remote and showing what they consider the most humiliating moments – the aforementioned impression occurring as Kirino’s gaming face is revealed, while Kirino counters by showing Kuroneko is house cat mode, hanging with her little sister. Kuroneko also uses storyboards to prove her point, further breaking down the already pulverized fourth wall…
The second commentary again features Kirino, this time joined by Kanako. I think she’s gotten more time in the commentaries than she did in the series but that’s OK – I actually like her character more in this format. The best running gag of this episode commentary comes when Kanako sees Kirino’s otaku side, which she never did in the show. When Kirino tentatively seeks her approval, all she can do is call Kirino “gross” over and over – though she does appreciate when Kirino points out how cute she is. Kanako’s speculation of what their relationship would be like if she married Kyousuke is pretty good, too.
Unless they give commentary on the DVD extra “True Route” eps, the next release will be it – until season two (hopefully) rolls around, anyway. I’ve enjoyed them thoroughly – they’re a kind of meta-realistic mix of satire and psychoanalysis and they actually reveal quite a lot about the characters that we might not have picked up during the eps themselves. If that’s not a worthwhile DVD extra I don’t know what is.
