Search - Key the Metal Idol - Singing (Vol. 3) on DVD

Someone forgot the rule of storytelling!

P. A Clark | San Jose, CA USA | 11/27/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"(SIGH) I first saw this seiries on public televison, but only caught some of the episodes. Due mainly to the unpredictability of the stations air times. Needless to say I was stoked when I could buy the series on DVD.DISC's 1 and 2 are great. Just like I remebered when I saw them of TV. In disc three however, the whole series takes a turn for the worst. I don't know if it was a lazy animator, or a rushed director, but the whole disc pratically turns into a story of telling instead of showing. In any story, especially a visual one, the story is supposed to be shown instead of told. But for well over and hour, two of the characters talk about Key and her past.It would have been alot more effective if the they could have used flashbacks or left Keys past as a mystery. Like others have already stated I had a hard time watching the last disc.I gave the third volume 2 stars just because I felt like it's neccesary to finish off Key's story, if you've seen the first 13 episodes. Maybe the producer of Key will redo the last episodes and give them justice. (unlikely though)"

Five stars for the series, three for the last disc...

Mark Savary | Seattle, WA | 09/02/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Disc 1 and 2 of "Key the Metal Idol" are absolutely amazing anime. Up until that point, you're left with a tantalizing wonder about whether or not Key really is a robot, a human, or something more. Images of the "human" Key overtake the "robot" Key at emotional moments, and there are also hints of Akira-like powers Key posesses, but is completely unaware of.Unfortunately, the last two installments of the series on Disc 3 bog things down and throw too much out the window. Also frustrating is the feeling that both of the last two segments were padded and overwritten. Many moments that made the first two discs a joy are here on Disc 3 as well, but they are far too infrequent. On top of that, the viewer must wade through many dull scenes laced with obtuse exposition, and little or no action.Part 1 of Disc 3 is the worst offender in that regard, but Part 2 has many long, drawn-out scenes as well. For example, there are several inexplicable pans of the Megalodome concert that fill space again and again on the disc without doing much to advance the story. A story's climax should be climactic, after all, not excitig moments laced together with dull spots.Fans should be warned, without resorting to a spoiler, that one of the cast members falls prey to a decidedly nasty turn of events the series could have done without. Again, this does not really do all that much to advance the story in a positive way, and the finality was unnecessary given Key's powers.On the plus side, there are some great moments worth waiting for, (mostly in Part 2), and the series comes to a somewhat satisfying, if not totally comprehensible, end.While Disc 3 is the worst of the lot, it's still better than the average anime. As such, you won't feel cheated, and the price is good value for your anime dollar."

Last 2 episodes? So-So. Key? Fantastic!!!

Mark Savary | 12/31/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The much disliked 3rd DVD....I was really split on this, and would give it 3 1/2 stars if I could. As mentioned elsewhere, the first episode (near 90 minutes long) is a ton of exposition and is a serious shift in story-telling from the first 13 episodes. When Wakagi and Surichi aren't sitting in a park talking about Key, her grandfather, and her grandfather's past; there's an old friend of Dr. Mima's (Key's grandfather) muttering about 15 minutes of backstory on the doctor to himself. Sakura and Key are largely moved to the back, but their scenes are wonderful...and the scene of Key clinging onto Sakura, calling her "mother" while Sakura is realizing her relationship to her is one of the sweetest moments in the story. I couldn't really stand Sakura until this moment in the series, so that makes up for the lack of scenes with Key in the first episode. The Second episode is an improvement, since we know most of what is going on by now, but still will have a few curve balls thrown at us. It's still slower and we must sit through the story of the cult leader, but most of the story belongs to Key. The character of Key is so interesting that she lights up any scene she's in. As she moves closer to her wish of becoming human, we see how amazing she is. But, there's a lot of growth she must make to get there. The last 15 or so minutes of the final show more than make up for any slowness before. It shows Key at her best. Some weird scenes, and the song that Key finally sings wasn't that impressive (I kind of wonder if they'd use the Japanese folk song "Sakura") but it was an ending worth waiting for. I just kind of wish it had gone just a few minutes more, so we'd see more of a resolution of Key's life.I guess I could almost rate the R or a heavy PG-13. There's bloodly scenes, nudity (more than other shows, but here it's mostly the robots), language, and the bizarro scenes of Ajo fawning over his female robots that make one suggest he's got more issues than finding Key. I would recommend renting it before buying it, because it is so different from the first 13 shows that some may be upset at the different style."