Key the Metal Idol

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: KEY THE METAL IDOL
English: Key the Metal Idol
Spanish: Key la Ídolo Metálica
French: Key the Mental Idol
More titles

Information

Type: OVA
Episodes: 15
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Dec 16, 1994 to Jun 18, 1997
Studios: Pierrot
Source: Original
Genres: ActionAction, Award WinningAward Winning, DramaDrama, Sci-FiSci-Fi
Themes: MechaMecha, MusicMusic, PsychologicalPsychological
Duration: 34 min. per ep.
Rating: R+ - Mild Nudity

Statistics

Score: 6.871 (scored by 63986,398 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #49352
2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #4511
Members: 26,371
Favorites: 142

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Streaming Platforms

6.87
Ranked #4935Popularity #4511Members 26,371
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Episodes: /15

Synopsis

Tokiko Mima, nicknamed "Key," is a 17-year-old girl living in the Japanese countryside who, despite her human-like appearance, is a robot. When Key's grandfather Dr. Murao Mima passes away, he leaves her a dying message, telling her that she can become a real girl if she is able to make thirty thousand friends. Thus, Key moves from the quiet Mamio Valley to the busy streets of Tokyo, where she soon runs into her childhood friend Sakura Kuriyagawa.

Key quickly becomes enamored with idol singer Miho Utsuse and wonders if becoming a singer will allow her to make the amount of friends needed for her to become human. But Miho carries a ominous secret: she is connected to Jinsaku Ajou, an old rival of Dr. Mima trying to make new a breakthrough in robotic weaponry. As Key works to become a real girl, Ajou sets a dangerous plan into action, and it turns out there's much more to Key than meets the eye.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Background

Key the Metal Idol won the Packaged Work Award at the 1996 Animation Kobe Awards.

Characters & Voice Actors


Staff

Sato, Hiroaki
Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Original Creator, Screenplay
Fujiyama, Fusanobu
Sound Director
Watanabe, Takashi
Episode Director, Storyboard
Abe, Masashi
Episode Director


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Opening Theme

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Youtube Music
"In the Night" by Sario Kijima
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Ending Theme

1: "Watashi ga Soba ni Iru" by Sario Kijima (eps 1-13)
2: "Passenger" by Tamiya Terashima (eps 14)
3: "Galaxy in my Hands" by Junko Iwao (eps 15)

Episode Videos




Reviews

Oct 23, 2009
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 ...
Aug 9, 2024
Mixed Feelings
Key the Metal Idol is an underappreciated, cerebral and interesting anime which evokes feelings of Lain despite its coming out several years earlier. I would absolutely recommend it to fans of that and other 90s sci-fi anime like it. However, as much as I like this show, it's unfortunately held back by a premature cancellation which resulted in a final episode that essentially boils down to a feature-length info dump of what the final few episodes were meant to be. Because it exists in this half-formed and unpolished state, I give it a mixed review. However, to those who are willing to try it despite ...
Feb 15, 2023
To be frank, Key the Metal Idol isn't a great anime, nor does it get anywhere close. Conceptually speaking, it definitely had potential, but this would go largely unrealised. Given the fact that Key's final two episodes are each an hour and a half long, it's possible that scheduling and/or finances are the reason/s for this squandered potential.

Key's story is a fairly obvious criticism of the idol industry in Japan. As a Western viewer, it's hard to deconstruct this aspect of the story in any meaningful way since idols (in this context) are a cultural phenomenon exclusive to Japan. That being said, it is interesting ...

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Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Key the Metal Idol Episode 15 Discussion
thisiodfkln - Sep 23, 2011
23 repliesby AzafuseKingTora »»
Aug 15, 3:07 PM
Poll: Key the Metal Idol Episode 3 Discussion
thisiodfkln - Jul 6, 2011
7 repliesby AzafuseKingTora »»
Jul 15, 9:57 PM
Worth Watching?
dustinator1991 - Jun 24, 2022
4 repliesby Kuruna_Dagurasu »»
Jun 27, 4:05 AM
Poll: Key the Metal Idol Episode 14 Discussion
RafaelDeJongh - May 16, 2014
22 repliesby Kuruna_Dagurasu »»
Jun 27, 3:54 AM
Poll: Key the Metal Idol Episode 9 Discussion
thisiodfkln - Jul 17, 2011
8 repliesby Spo0ky-chan »»
May 28, 2:45 AM