Key The Metal Idol is a 15-episode OVA that aired between December 1994 and June 1997. I originally heard of this show while browsing KaiserBeamz's catalog on YouTube. (They make a lot of fantastic videos about retro anime and I would highly recommend checking them out). It was their video that got me interested in the series. I mean, a robot who travels who needs 30,000 friends to become human so she tries to become an idol? Who wouldn't want to watch that? I remember clicking off the video a few minutes in and dropping everything to watch Key. And, after finishing the series, I can confidently say that the anime is quite the mixed bag. Let's discuss why.
According to its Wikipedia page, Key "was produced and sold as an 'experimental' title," and once you start watching the series, that experimental factor makes itself apparent pretty quick. The episode lengths vary wildly. You will find yourself sitting down to watch a normal 30-minute one or a literal 90-minute movie with movie credits and everything. I don't think the variance is a problem until it comes to the two movies (episodes 14 and 15). The reason for which I will discuss below.
If there's one thing to say about the show, it's that it will definitely surprise you; Key is not what it seems. Despite the simple synopses provided by sites like this one and MAL, the plot presented in Key is rather complicated. The story is not just about a robot trying to make 30,000 friends, it's also about corruption, fan culture, the military, modern technology, and a statement about Japanese life at the time. There are so many branching storylines with characters doing their own thing and uncovering their own clues about what's going on. This, in my opinion, is both a strong and weak point for the anime. On the strong side, these storylines are incredibly interesting. The show had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next big reveal. I wanted to know what the true story of Key, the robot, was and how it affected the plot. The way the story was told was also quite interesting. There is a lot going on at once and sometimes it's a little difficult to figure out what happened where in the timeline, but for the most part it works. The story becomes deeper and more complex as you watch it, adding different layers to the plot that makes you really think about what is going on.
However, since there are so many storylines, some will ultimately be less developed than others. Some are complete, some are rushed, and others feel borderline abandoned. It would take a genius writer to fully flesh out everything that is going on in this anime with the little time that they have and the writers behind Key were not up to the task. Come episode 14, the first of the two movies, they must have realized that the plot of Key wasn't explored as far as it needed to be for the audience to be caught up before the final episode. To compensate, episode 14 is legitimately an hour and a half of exposition. It feels like the only reason the final episodes are so long is so the writers can pump you full of information they couldn't fit into the story before they send you on your way. The characters aren't even doing anything in this episode. Two of them just sit down and talk to each other about the plot while one walks around and talks to himself about the plot. This is horrible storytelling and I'm surprised it was even allowed to happen. It ruined my enjoyment of the show. I would say that the plot has so much potential, but it doesn't realize it.
Another experimental aspect of Key is its editing which, like the episode length, varies drastically. It goes from unnoticeable, to a little weird, to downright unwatchable in a split second. The first three episodes are especially bad editing-wise. The majority of the editing decisions actively distract from the anime and make it hard to watch. It wouldn't surprise me if people stopped watching after these episodes due to this, but I would they choose to press on for the interesting story alone. The one good thing I can say about the editing is that at least it's done with purpose. The decisions are unconventional, yes, but at least you will be able to understand why these moments are being edited the way they are, even if it doesn't stick the landing. The editing is used as a tool to express how the characters are feeling in that specific moment. One of the major problems is that the editors don't know how long a shot should stay on screen for. Shots will flash on screen for less than half a second or stay on screen for what feels like an eternity when they don't need to. It's a mess.
The music is, for the most part, equally a mess. Songs play at inappropriate times and are usually very loud. I ended up laughing most of the time Key's theme would play because it was edited in rather poorly. The songs by themselves aren't bad, but the way they are used is rather awful. As the anime goes on, the music and sound mixing/editing gets a little better. Nothing to write home about but it isn't as distracting as it was earlier in the series.
The last thing I want to talk about is the characters because they are what really hold the series together besides the plot. The characters are great in my opinion. Well, the main cast of characters is great. I thought Key was just going to be there to be the adorable, comic relief robot that doesn't understand humans and talks about herself in the third person. And even though she does do some of that, she actually has a lot of depth to her and my opinion of her as a character completely changed by the end of the series. Tataki, Wakagi, Sergei, Ajo, Tsurugi, and Prince Snake Eye are equally great. They all get full arcs and we're allowed to explore their character and how they change over the course of the anime. (Prince Snake Eye is the most interesting character in my opinion). If you've watched Key, then you've probably realized that I've left out Sakura. That's because I think she's the least developed of the main cast. When I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that she doesn't really do anything. She's sorta just there for Key. All of the female characters in this series are used more as props than actual people (even Key). I think that's part of the point the anime is trying to make. Prince Snake Eye does talk a lot about showbiz and how it'll suck the life out of you. If that is actually what the anime is going for, I think they could have delved further into that topic because it's interesting but they don't comment on it much.
Overall, Key is a really interesting show. It's one of the more creative anime I've seen and I applaud it for that creativity. It's always nice to see something attempt to tell a story in a more unique way or to even tell a different story than the ones we're used to. However, just because a show is creative and unique, that does not make it good. Key has several flaws. Whether it's the terrible editing, music choices, or exposition problems, there will be something that severely annoys you about this show once you finish it. I don't think the show is terrible, in fact, I'd recommend watching it for the story, but that doesn't change the fact that some scenes are legitimately unwatchable and how the anime stops for an entire hour to explain things to you it should have already explained.
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