Key The Metal Idol

Original Title: KEY THE METAL IDOL
Romanized: KEY THE METAL IDOL
Literal:

Plot Synopsis

Will you be one of Key's 30,000 friends? Key is a robot who has been living with normal people all her life. But when Key's Grandfather mysteriously dies, Key is left with a tape recording saying that if she can make 30,000 friends she will become human. Key believes her Grandfather and travels to Tokyo. With her pale skin, her large glazed eyes and without even the ability to smile, it doesn't look as if Key will be able to accomplish her goal. However, she does have one friend from Junior High in Tokyo. After accidentally running into each other, Sakura, Key's friend, takes her into her home.

As hard as it will be to make 29,999 more friends, Key, Sakura, and their friend (Guess that makes it 29,998 now) Shuichi are brought into the mystery surrounding Key's Grandfather's death and the many other mysteries spanning from that. What are those huge robots and why do they go berserk around Key? What's the story behind the popular idol singer, Miho? While Key has made two friends, she has come to a city with many questions and the only people who hold the answers are her enemies.

Quick Review

Rating: 4 / 5
Reviewer: Legion
Review Date: 2005-12-01

Without a doubt one of the most well made series I have seen recently. While the concept sounds kind of dumb, it's written in such a way so those thoughts don't come to mind, and describing it as a darker take on Pinocchio barely scratches the surface. Dark, unsettling, and atmospheric, the pacing is excellent and each captivating episode bombards the viewer with many questions and few answers. The subtle animation enhances the mood and adds some strange dreamlike sequences, and the broad cast is well acted in both languages. The only mixed bag is the music; the songs are very good in both languages (they are re-dubbed in the English version), but the background music and sound effects are lacking.

In all, Key the Metal Idol is a satisfying series I would not hesitate to recommend.

US DVD Review

As with most of VIZ's DVDs, this one was co-produced with Pioneer and isn't a bad production, but does have some problems. First off, these DVDs are of good value, containing all fifteen episodes of the OAV series on three dual-layered DVDs. However, I'm afraid the video was not so great. The main offenders in the video took place during darker sequences, which unfortunately accounts for 60-70% of the show. During these dark sequences, I noticed a fair amount of ghosting (which is when the image seems to 'blur' when characters move or the camera pans). The video also looked kind of harsh on Jackets and Trench coats and even characters faces once in awhile. Combine that with some master flaws, like dirt, and some harsh grain on the last episode, and you get something that's a little hard to get excited over. Also, the image jitters a bit due to how it was edited in Japan. Think Gainax and you'll know what I'm talking about, although it wasn't quite that bad. The video isn't a total loss, however, as daytime scenes looked good, clean and sharp. As for audio, we're given an English and a Japanese language track, with an English subtitle track, which is of no surprise at all. While there are some action sequences that sound very good, this is mostly a dialogue show and therefore won't sound terribly dynamic either way. However, the stereo sound does do its job well. Definitely a better job than the video.

VIZ has treated us with some pretty decent extras. There's some conceptual art and character profiles on all three discs. The last disc has a creditless opening and ending (unfortunately only the Japanese audio was encoded on it). But the real treat is a three-part (one part a DVD) text interview with the creator Hiroaki Sato from an issue of Animerica and an FAQ about the show (first DVD only), with answers from the creator himself. Both the interview and FAQ help give insight to the show and the creators intentions. Finally, the extras section provides voice credits for both languages, but the end credits themselves only list the English actors.

Content Guide

This one's got some odd imagery and equally odd characters who do very strange things. Combined with some nudity and graphic violence, it's on the heavier side of 13-up, possibly 16-up.

Violence: 3 - Some bloody and graphic violence here, but pretty sparse overall.

Nudity: 2 - A couple non-erotic scenes with Key, a shower scene, and a couple of weird scenes.

Sex/Mature Themes: 3 - Those weird scenes mentioned above, plus a crush.

Language: 2 - An appropriate amount of profanity.

Notes and Trivia

None.

Availability

Available in the US from VIZ (in a joint Pioneer production) as a hybrid DVD box set of the entire series. Was originally available on three hybrid DVD volumes, and earlier on eight dubbed or subtitled VHS volumes.

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