Customer Reviews

Key the Metal Idol: Searching [VHS]

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Key The Metal Idol is perhaps, one of the greatest anime titles in history. The story is about Key, a robotic girl who isn't all she appears as she tries to find 30,000 friends so they can turn her into a human girl. Key is helped and hindered along the way by a variety of characters, all who have their own vested interest in Key's success or failure.

Key's plot twists and turns with almost every episode, until the final moments you are not quite sure where everything lies and it's story telling and script is extremely impressive.

Key's artwork is equally stunning, the character of Key herself is beautifully crafted, movement and expressions are drawn with a real charm.

The music to the series is also spellbinding from the Japanese Pop Music littered throughout to the enchanting and bizarre background music, Key doesn't disappoint on the audio level any less than it doesn't disappoint visually.

I can't say too much about the plot without ruining, just trust me and buy Key.

Key: The Metal Idol is one of those series that, although maycatch your eye, there is nothing that tempts you to watch it. However,as I was wandering along my video store I realized I have watched nearly every anime besides this video. Therefore, I bought it, not expecting that much of a good series. Was I wrong!

Volume 1 contains three episodes that introduces the main character, Key, a robot made extremely like a human. Even her artifical flesh is just as soft as a humans. These episodes also introduce Sakura, one of her childhood friends. Although the plot is very vague, it begins to deliver itself later. Another strange character we find, is a man who photographs for women posing nude. He is very authoritarian and travels around with a big buff guy. Then there's the mysterious stone soldier and the man who controls him. The characters are really well done.

The music is okay, but is unfortunately in English and I would have rather watched the subtitled version. Surprisingly, the character voices were well done and did not have high-pitched annoying accents.

All in all, this is a series I am definitely going to buy more of, and to get the DVD (subbed/dubbed all the way). See it now!

Key was the first anime that I watched, and liked it so much I bought the 3 dvd set. Key was a commissioned work for the 10th or 15th anniversary of Pony Canyon.

Key started out as a concept for a videogame, and ended up as an OVA anime. (released on video)

The english soundtrack cuts in and out. When you watch the dvd, select english subtitles and japanese audio.

The story is so complex you have to watch it several times just to understand the storyline.

The real story of Key is the subversive way the entertainment industry in Japan takes advantage of young girls and exploits them for profit. A very important story, and still very timely. You see nothing like this produced in Hollywood, how our consumption of product leads to the distruction of young girls who think that they can become the next idol singer.

Then if they do have any talent, they are seen as a clone. Like how Jane Mansfield was a clone of Maralyne Monroe.

Key also deals with peer on peer abuse in school, as well as other socalization issues. Grief, acceptance, competency, role of religion, healing, life process, role of pills to help with depression, sexual exploitation, the need to have friends, and the relationships of fans, artists and the corporations that (use) manage talent.

I would love to see Key made into a live action movie. Then perhaps Key will reach her goal of 30,000 friends.

Notice after the credits on episode 15 the short clip with key giving flowers... any comments on that?

In some of the dialog on episode 14 they talk about Ame No Uzme No Mikoto. This is a reference back to Japanese mythology. If you read Ame No Uzme, like it is english, then it almost reads Amy No Use Me, or A Me No Use Me.

Ame No Uzme No Mikoto was the hevenly deity of devine movement, meditation, mariage and joy.

I think the bottom line with Key is an anime with a real social message and complexity, just like real life, but as a robot, key is just plain... awesome.

Ok, I am just going to say this first, get the dvd if you can you get your money's worth! The DVD is better because the video only has 3 episodes but the DVD has 7 complete episodes.

Ok, enough about the DVD. This series is great, and although dark at times has some very positive elements. The show isn't for little kids (it is very violent) but I think that maybe 13 year olds could handle it (but because of alot of ungraphic, but still present, nudity it is up to the parent). The first 7 episodes are great, and the characters are spectacular. Everyone is interesting and great to watch. The shows story is strange, but it is compelling and you just have to see more. I can't wait till Dreaming is released so I can see the rest of the series.

A robot named Tokiko (Key) goes to highschool in rural Japan until one day she is summoned from class to find that her grandfather has died. Having little in the way of feelings she has trouble accepting this. Although he died quickly he had time to leave a message to key, The message says that he had found a way to for her to transcend her robotic body and become human, however The process will take the friendship of at least 30,000 friends. The following day Key leaves for tokyo, she tries many things but befriends no one. After a full day she stops and runs into a photographer an then into her childhood friend Sakura. The story isn't great if your looking for a laugh but it is interesting and it will have you guessing at every turn and the music for something like this is superb And the ajo corperation is very well thought out but I'd definately recomend this to anyone who enjoys mature animes.

Sadly this anime title seems to be overlooked a lot which it shouldn't be. I orignally had rented this anime at a near by video rental store and liked it from the beginning. Originally I bought it on VHS dubbed, but the near by comic book store that had it on VHS was so steep in price and the dub not so great that I ended up asking for a lot of VHS tapes for Christmas, and received this DVD instead >^^<

FIrst of all, the DVDs hold a lot of episodes on 'em, and Viz has released it so that the whole series is only on three DVDs. Pretty conveinent if I do say so myself. Second of all, I'm not that huge of a fan of sci-fi series. But for whatever reason this series has seemed to captivate me. What with more going on then just Key finding 30,000 friends there is something for almost everyone in this series. The art is also somewhat different, and sometimes Key just seems plain old surreal looking.

What's more, my friends mom bought this whole series for herself. And loves it to death. Definatly recommended to any mature anime fan. This isn't a comedy folks, it's one serious drama, with a lot of mature content. You've been forewarned, and you've been urged to buy it, so go buy it >^^<

This has got to be one of the best animes ever! The story was compelling and catches anyone's attention and never lets go.

The animation is superb and the voice acting is outstanding. And Nichole Oliver does a wonderful job in doing Key's voice in the Dub.

It features a robot girl wanting to become human. Her creator (Grandfather as she calls him) tells her at his death that the only way she could become human was to make 30,000 friends. Friends that will love her and cry for her. So where can Key go to make this many friends? To Tokyo, of course. But a dark sinister corporation is not going to make Key's mission easy.

As my title says that this isn't another Pinnochio story, that's true. Key does want to be human and people try to take advantage of her, but that's where the similarites end.

Key's story goes much deeper than the story of Pinnochio ever did. It not only explores the human nature, but whether or not it's worth becoming human at all.

Will you be one of Key's friends?

Lovely. Beautiful. Wonderful. This is Key the Metal Idol. The perfect series that I was looking for. Once you watch Key, you can't stop. You have to watch the next and the next and the next until you need the next disc. That's what I have to buy as soon as I can. All the characters are wonderfully designed. Especially Key. The story is what got me to buy it. It's very dark, but very interesting. Will Key really win the love of 30,000 friends? I have to know! I have to buy the other 2 discs! Take my advice: BUY KEY. It's worth the money. This is a great series. Will you be one of Key's friends?

first off let me say that this is the best anime of all time. for all you buffy fans: you know those eps when joss really outdoes himself, and every scene is a work of art? well that's what key is like. after you watch it, you feel like you've had some beautiful, yet terribly tragic dream that you can't quite remember. i also should say that this isn't for everyone. not because of violence (there is some, but i've seen worse on star trek), or nudity (again, there's some, but in a nonsexual context- up to the fifth ep anyway, that's all i've seen- (...) have nipples, unlike in shyer animes, but that's all.). the real reason this isn't for everyone is simply because not everyone will understand it. this is really deep stuff, be prepared to stare blankly at the screen hours after the tape's done. ^_^

I must say, that this is one of the best pieces that I have ever viewed. It is a great way to open yourself up to what the anime world has in store for you. It expands to another horizon that is completely amazing, and I recommend anyone to watch it, especially anime-lovers. I enjoyed it and I hope those who also watch it enjoys it as well. You dont know what you are missing!