Key: The Metal Idol is one of those series about which it seems everyone's heard but hardly anyone's ever watched. One day I was at the rental store looking for an anime to enjoy, but found myself hindered because most of the good series there were series I was saving to watch with a bigger group. As such, in my usual fashion, I picked out a series which looked good, yet was less known. Key: The Metal Idol turned out to be one of the darker anime series I'd ever seen, but I definitely didn't regret renting it. In fact, it got me hooked and I finished the series in just over a week (count in school and a job and that's pretty quick for me ^_^).

The story is about Tokiko Mima, a particularly strange 13 year old girl. Her face is pale, her eyes are cold and blank, and she never has any expression. In fact, she claims she's a robot. The rest of the kids don't know what to think of her, but despite her lifeless demeanor, she looks and moves just like a real person, so they are divided as to whether they should believe her. Tokiko's classmates nicknamed her "Key," as though she were the key to an ancient mystery.

One day Key is called home from school. Her "grandfather," Dr. Mima, the man she claims invented her, is dying. In his last words, he tells Key that she can become human, but she'll need to find a large number of friends to make it possible: 30 000 of them. Key decides that her village is far too small, and the only way to meet 30 000 friends is to go to Tokyo.

The series also introduces a conspiratorial weapons and android manufacturer, a long lost friend of Key's, who'd moved away years ago, and a pop idol singer named Miho.

Key, devoid of either expression or emotion, but will it always be this way?	Sakura, one of Key's childhood friends, with whom she may be more deeply connected than meets the eye.

There are several particular qualities that I really liked about Key. First of all, it's one of those series that, every step of the way, has you saying to yourself, "What the heck is going on??" Then, in time, it actually EXPLAINS what's happening, instead of leaving you hanging for countless episodes. Rest assured, every time a question is answered, they replace it with a new and sometimes even more confusing question; but as for final answers, Key delivers with a massive two hour long finale that makes up about 40% of the plot just by itself!

The second thing I especially appreciated about Key was that although it had its fair share of violence and nudity, it never gave the feeling that it was "gratuitous." Sometimes the series would continue for quite a long time with nothing but pure drama, and then shock you with a grizzly scene to remind you of the unforgiving nature of the modern metropolitan society. As for what some people call "fan service," there is one nude shower scene, but it was somewhat relevant to the character's personal story, even if it wasn't exactly necessary...

Watching this series, I couldn't help but think of it as an extremely dark version of Pinocchio. There are regular references to marionettes, and in fact, Dr. Mima crafted puppets, as well as having conducted scientific research. The puppet idea creates an awesome visual effect that's especially strong in the introduction. The series' premise comes off as very sharp and original.

Another thing I ought to mention; Key's music is simply fantastic! It may seem like a rather quiet, dark anime, but music is one of the central themes. I think you'll appreciate just how bizarre, yet fitting this is after the first couple of tapes. The opening and closing themes are easily the most effective themes I've heard to get you in the mood for the story. I watched Pioneer's dubbed version (I'm limited to what the rental store has to offer, so I haven't seen the subbed version), and they did the best job of song dubbing I've ever heard. ^_^ Miho's pop/rock and ballad/lullaby songs within the series compliment the story too. Music, as well as anything sound related in the series, gets an easy A+!

While the character style is pretty standard, Key: The Metal Idol's character design is done excellently. It really captures the nature of the characters, Key's lifeless eyes and pale skin, for example, making her quite chilling.

The animation quality in general is also well done. They don't try out very many new "tricks," but I could tell that the director had a lot of skill.

The only disappointment I have with Key is its ending. Yes, it wraps up the rest of the story in a fairly complete way, but for some reason it still left me wanting more. I think it may be a matter of personal preference though, because the story branched off in a direction I wasn't completely pleased with two or three episodes earlier. Perhaps it's because in the finale they focused a whole lot on some of the lesser characters, whom I didn't really care about. I would've preferred if Key and her closest friends were more of an ultimate focus for the series. If the ending had focused differently, I would have easily have given Key an A for its story.

Even so, I still heartily recommend Key: The Metal Idol. If you can enjoy an anime that's on the dark and thought-provoking side, you'll be hooked from tape 1! It's definitely a series you'll remember.

Distributor: Viz
Creator: Pony Canyon, Studio Pierrot
Released: 1994

Plot: B+
Character Design: A-
Animation Quality: A
Music: A+
Overall: A-