Retro Moment: Key: The Metal Idol (1994)

Hello all, it's time to review an older anime I’ve watched known as "Key: the Metal Idol." That had to be about the weirdest, most messed up series I've seen in a while. I loved every minute of it. Really, now, it's a brutal depiction of people vying for fame and power, looking for an edge, starring a robot that has a mission to earn the trust of 30000 people.

Really now, what makes this show different form every other show depicting a robot wanting to be human? Well, as can be observed, this one much darker, by a severe degree. Also, it's not about a guy who fumbles upon/creates the perfect woman. Oh no, this is about a naive person going out and experiencing the seedy underbelly of Tokyo. Not to mention, the twisted people who are interested in her. What could make it better? That would be the fact that there's no tacked-on romance subplot. Oh yes, you don't have to worry about them poking their nose where they don't belong. Unfortunately, this show does suffer from boring first-episode syndrome. So without spoiling it, I can say this is one twisted, gut wrenching, and awesome experience.

Is it worth it? Well, when it comes to DVD content, they were kind enough to follow the Fruits Basket train of thought. They crammed at least 3 hours on each DVD, keeping it down to a tidy 3 DVDs. In total, this series has 13 normal sized episodes, and 2 triple length episodes, so it will take a bit of time to watch. However, there is no filler, which is great for a series of this length. Not that I have a problem with filler or anything, but this isn't the series it belongs in. Unfortunately, since this series is quite old, it is aa eal bugger to find and get a good price on. Even Ebay managed to fail me on getting a price under 30$. However, I can say that it was worth it, and you can get it easily with the Blockbuster movie pass or Netflix, as nobody's renting it due to obscurity. But then again, after viewing the first disk, I decided it was worthy of joining the various DVDs I have on display. Anyway, I found Key: The Metal Idol to be a very disturbing, and worthwhile experience.