Ranked #2467

Key the Metal Idol

I first heard of this anime in an old RightStuf catalogue I got in high school. After reading the description, I knew it was a must see.

Even though most people would rather see the japanese sub, I highly recommend the english dub. Not only the VAs were decent, but the music has all been remade to english, and is some of the most beautiful music of the mid-late 90s.

Storywise, this had a great storyline. You could say this anime has a bit of a Pinocchio complex, as the main character (Key) is trying to become a human. How she does this is to simply make 30,000 friends O.O. How this works out remains a mystery until you get near the end of the series, where all questions will be answered. As Key is faced with obstacles, her human transformation takes place, and truly wows those around her. By the time you get to the end of this anime, you will also fee that you've become one of her friends.

The artwork is somewhat outdated, but that's to be expected from an anime made in 1997. However, that's no excuse to toss it aside for it being so old. The character designs of the main cast and the robots raises some nostalgia for the classic Terminator movies. The special effects are truly impressive, worthy of giving this anime an award, if it doesn't already have one. Though there is some nudity, it's not so much to toss this in with ecchi Just enough for you to keep in mind that this is a serious story.

Overall, I would have to say this anime is one of my top 5's. After seeing this the first time through, it really brings a tear to your eyes. T_T I highly recommend watching it. read more

Story: The story for Key the Metal Idol is relatively simple at first. It's the generic 'go on a quest' type. For Key she has to get all these fans so she can change from a robot into a human, relatively blah right? Yeah, it kind of is.

The story does get really good at the end but getting there takes forever and the pacing of the series isn't good. It's relatively boring for about three or four episodes and then BAM! something just exciting enough happens so you keep watching the series a little longer to see how it ends.

Up until the end practically nothing really makes any sense at all. However, the ending is quite good and it wraps up the series nicely and with no loose ends. And the story, once it gets going, is rather original and ... strange.

Art: About the art there's not much to be said. It was released mid-90s so it has the generic art type from that time. Nothing really spectacular about it, it's above average, little else. There is one saving grace about the art though: the robot designs. They are excellent, the problem is you don't get to see them too much.

Sound: Here comes the one thing that really hurts this series. The sound isn't very good at all. The voices are altogether cheesy and halting, espicially Key's. By the end of the series you just want Key to shut up because her voice is so annoying. It's the generic robot voice that you can listen to on your computer. They didn't even need a voice actor for her part.

Also, there is a lot of singing but only one song is really any good in my opinion and that's the lullabye. (Can't really describe it without spoiling the series.) Besides that the songs just aren't vrey good, espiecially the opening theme which nearly turned me off before I even got two minutes in.

Character: At first all the characters seem rather generic and boring but they start to get better around the halfway point of the series. This goes espiecially for Key as you can probably guess why.

Also, the pasts of the power players in it are really good since the series pretty much remade the history of the world of robotics from the forties on. (It's fun to watch, espiecially if you are into robotics.)

Enjoyment: The series will make you happy ... if you can stick with it. I had to watch about four episodes at a time and then take a few hours break before returning to it. If you do it this way, you won't fall asleep ... most likely, and you'll get the most out of it. The ending really makes it worth struggling through the first thirteen episodes.

Overall: This series is a good series, if you can make it through. It isn't very action oriented but the conversations are pretty deep and the plot twists are excellent ... though some of them are a little obvious. Everything does come together at the end and it's an excellent ending.

Although this isn't the greatest show ever released, it's worth a look espiecially if you like strange anime or if you like your sci-fi with a little twist. It may not be your favorite series ever, but you won't be disappointed. read more