Audio Commentary/Episode 7

Can You Face Your True Feelings? 本当の気持ちと向き合えますか？
Commentary	Aoi Yuuki Chiwa Saitou Ryouko Shintani

The seventh commentary features along with Madoka's and Homura's VA is Ryouko Shintani, who provides the voice of Hitomi. She's also known as playing Sae in Hidamari Sketch, which role is rather a lot closer to her natural voice.

Again, they start off with the auditions. This time we find out that Saitou was actually trying out for Kyubey and Kyousuke, before being told to try Homura. On the other hand, Shintani was trying for Sayaka and Homura before trying on Hitomi. Her first impression based on the general character overviews given to the auditioning seiyuu was that she'd be a big impact on Sayaka. Then they found out how wicked she is. They joke that she's the most evil out of all the girls.

All of the girls immediately see through the facade: Kyouko is the nice one and Hitomi is the evil one, the opposite of what guys think. As a guy, I definitely didn't have any suspicions of Hitomi, but I was very wary of Kyouko when she first showed up. It's very interesting in that way.

At this point in the story, it gets much darker. Both Madoka and Sayaka hardly smile anymore. But as a result, Madoka starts talking more with Homura. They both lend each other some stability, though you can tell that they're both under a lot of stress. They show it in different ways.

They do talk about the 'strength' of the characters. Sayaka is strong on the outside, but she doesn't like relying on others and that's part of her weakness as a character. On the other hand, while Hitomi doesn't put up a strong front, she is assertive and strong when she wants to be. They say that it feels like Hitomi is the one who'll end up happiest at the end of the story, because of the strength of her character.

Now they're on the scene with Kyouko and Sayaka at the church. The art is kinda cute, but scary... They both have their own sense of justice, but they're not in agreement and so that's why they have their disagreements. Part of the difference is that Kyouko actually seems to act in the interest of other individuals, somewhat at the expense of the majority. On the other hand, Sayaka tries to make things best for the general population, but it's almost for herself, so that she can keep up her 'hero' personality. The difference in what they are want to do and what they are able to do hurts so much.

Next, is Hitomi's big scene. Hitomi is quiet but strong. She sets this ultimatum on Sayaka, saying that she has one day to talk with Kyousuke before Hitomi will confess. On the other hand, Sayaka is bright and energetic but on the contrary has no confidence. It's another really interesting balance that Sayaka's involved in: Kyouko/Sayaka and Hitomi/Sayaka... But everything is going really badly for Sayaka now, so you can really understand why Sayaka is breaking down now.

Sayaka next is talking with Madoka. It's so sad... "I almost regretted something. 'If I hadn't rescued Hitomi then...' I thought that just for a moment. I'm a failure as a hero. I wouldn't be able to face Mami anymore." Shintani here said that in the studio, listening to that performance she was thinking "sorry"... Here, Madoka does a good job of comforting Sayaka. She doesn't stand out very much, but she can read the atmosphere and sort things out nicely. In a way, here the roles are reversed and Madoka is protecting Sayaka..

Finally, we end up with the final scene. I really love the art, and so do the seiyuu. It's so beautiful...and the music...Decretum...so cool. Being a hero really hurts, huh. Shintani said that when Sayaka did the 'crouching start' it was written like that in the script and she laughed at it.. But when it aired, she thought it was almost too cool and felt bad for laughing at it. Ah man it's such a powerful scene...