From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Key the Metal Idol is an anime OVA series that was released in Japan in
1994, continuing through 1997. The series consists of fifteen
episodes divided into three "programs". First Program
consists of episodes 1 through 7. Second Program is 8
through 13. Third Program and Final Program are
episodes 14 and 15 respectively. Key is a serious and somewhat dark
drama with elements of science fiction, supernatural, and
action.
The central character of the story is Mima Tokiko (aka "Key").
Key is a robot, crafted by her scientist "grandfather", Mima Murao.
Every year, on her birthday, "grandpa" builds Key a new body--one
size larger. Upon his deathbed, Murao reveals that Key no longer
has to remain a robot: she can become human with the aid of 30,000
friends. Key must do this quickly before her battery runs down.
However, some very powerful men are after Key and the secrets her
body contains.
Key the Metal Idol is a unique series in many regards. It was
originally produced and sold as an "experimental" title. Therefore,
the original release media (VHS
Tapes and LDs) were
priced very low, at 2,500 yen for a single-episode tape (With the
first episode retailing at 1000 yen.) or 5,800 yen for a 3-episode
LD. This was less than half the typical price of OVA titles at the
time. As the series progressed, the episode lengths and volume
costs continued to increase. The final volumes were priced 9,500
yen each, which was in line with other titles at the time.
Key is also unusual in that the episodes are of varying length.
The first thirteen episodes are approximately 25 minutes each. The
final two episodes are 95 minutes each.
In addition to the OVA series, music CDs and Radio Drama CDs were
issued.
The anime series was released
in the United States by Viz Video
Main
characters
- Mima Tokiko / Key Mima Tokiko, commonly
referred to as Key, is the granddaughter of Mima Murao and Mima
Tomiko. She appears as a somewhat autistic child throughout the
majority of the series. Key, like her mother and grandmother before
her, exhibited strong supernatural powers. However, Dr. Mima used
gel extracted from Key's mother to suppress her
powers--and her humanity--in order to keep her safe from Ajo. He
encouraged Key to believe she was just another of his many robots
in order to deceive Ajo, but she truly is a human girl. The will of
30,000 people is required to reverse Dr. Mima's treatment and to
restore Key's true self. However, Key is able to awaken and use her
powers for short periods during moments of extreme emotional
stress. Key's presence is disruptive to PPOR robots. This, and the
fact that Key would be capable of producing an extremely large
amount of quality Gel, makes her a target for Ajo and his
henchmen.
- Mima Murao / Dr. Mima is Key's grandfather and
a scientist and puppet craftsman. His expertise in engineering and
puppeteering led him to become one of the leading pioneers of
robotics. His research originally became stalled due to the lack of
suitable technology available during the 1920s and 30s. However,
upon meeting Tomiko in Mamio Valley, he became interested in the
use of supernatural powers in robotic design. He later developed a
technique for constructing and operating robots based on this
research that became known as the Mima Formula. However,
Mima eventually halted his work for moral reasons: the research was
taxing on the subjects--his wife and daughter.
- Mima Tomiko is Key's grandmother and Murao's
wife. She was a Miko at the Shinto shrine at Mamio Valley,
and possessed extraordinary supernatural powers.
- Mima Toyoko is Key's mother. Like Tomiko, she
was a Miko in Mamio Valley. She possessed the same supernatural
powers as her mother.
- Tomoyo Wakagi is Dr. Mima's research
assistant, and later functions as Key's bodyguard and protector. He
has a military background and carries a wound from past service. He
is a skilled and capable fighter and wields many unconventional
weapons, including a wrist-mounted slingshot that fires explosive bullets. He
also carries an electronic device resembling a laptop computer
which is capable of detecting gel emissions and tracks their
source.
- Suichi Tataki is a good friend of Sakura, and
later, of Key. He is a big fan of Miho Utsuse and is the president
of her fan club. A look around his room suggests that he is a fan
of manga and weightlifting as
well. He professes to be a martial arts otaku. Sakura has a crush on him.
- Sergei / D Sergei, known most often by his
code name D, works for Ajo and is charged with
special missions--especially those requiring violence. Sergei is
skilled at operating PPOR robots, as well as various
military tactics. He also possesses superhuman strength and
endurance as a result of artificial enhancement. It is not clear if
his body contains robotic parts, but he is known to inject himself
with gel. D also has one peculiar ability: he can spit
marble-like objects with enough force to cause serious injury.
- Janome / Prince Snake-Eye is the leader of a
religious cult: The Church of the Golden Snake Savior. He
has no supernatural powers, but he is a bit of a con man and
manages to convince his followers that he does. Janome professes to
have received divine revelation from "The Golden Snake King" when
he was bitten by a poisonous snake during a trip through Mamio
Valley. Janome is among the first to realize that Key has some kind
of real power, and strives to make Key use her powers for the
benefit of his cult. However, Janome later realizes the truth about
Key and becomes one of her friends and supporters.
- Kuriyagawa Sakura is Key's oldest friend,
independent and kind. She and Key attended the same secondary
school in Mamio Valley. Sakura and Key became friends because they
were both outcasts in school and both had absentee fathers. Sakura
has moved to Tokyo where she works several jobs: delivering pizza,
clerk at a video store, and directing traffic at construction
sites. She and Key meet by accident In Tokyo. She gives Key a place
to stay, and decides to help Key realize her goal of becoming
human. It is quite possible that her father is also Key's father,
making the two of them half-sisters. To lure Key to him, Ajo
kidnaps Sakura and extracts her Gel. Though she is rescued, she is
left very weak, and after giving Key some encouraging words, she
passes away. This temporarily triggers Key's human side. Sakura's
remaining Gel lives on in Key, helping her get closer to her goal
of becoming completely human.
- Utsuse Miho is an extremely popular Idol singer / rock
star. After viewing one of her concert videos, Key decides that she
wants to be like Miho. Miho becomes Key's role model; if she can
muster tens of thousands of fans like Miho, then surely Key will
become human. Miho was scouted into showbusiness by Tamari. As she
gained popularity she was moved to Production Minos. Ajo
uses her in his experiments, and the "Miho" seen on stage is
actually a PPOR-like robot controlled by the human Miho. This
process was strenuous on her and caused her to fall ill. After
finally being freed, the now-human Key visits her with
flowers.
- Hikaru Tsurugi is a showbiz protegy: He is not
only a famed dance choreographer, producer, and director of live
performances, but he is also an author of literary works and
screenplays. He lives a flamboyant lifestyle complete with
cutting-edge fashion and an exotic sportscar. Tsurugi was hired by
Production Minos to assist with Miho's promotion. He was
responsible for directing her performances in addition to acting as
a voice coach, choreographer, etc. After Miho's rise to stardom
Tsurugi became bored with her and had little involvement with
Production Minos. However, Tsurugi later came to discover Key and
offered to take her under his wing.
- Sei'ichi Tamari is the owner of V&A, a
seedy company that produces low-budget adult videos. He also acts
as something of a talent scout, finding girls who might make it big
as Idols, and
then delivering them to major talent agencies in exchange for
commissions. It was Tamari that originally scouted Miho into the
music industry. Tamari is very interested in scouting Sakura as
well. Tamari is not above using coersion or violence to further his
business. However, after becoming involved with Key he has a change
of heart and joins her as a strong supporter.
- Jinsaku Ajo is the president of Ajo Heavy
Industries and is also involved with various other
businesses--legal and otherwise. He has a strong fascination
(perhaps even a fetish) for mechanical parts and
mechanisms--especially clockwork automatons, which he collects. Ajo was
originally an officer in the Japanese Army during World War II. His
fascination with Automata and his military experience sent him into
the weapons business. He developed the PPOR robot, partially from
his own work and partially by stealing research notes from Dr.
Mima. His goal is to perfect and sell the PPOR as a
remote-controlled robot soldier, and for that he needs secrets that
only Dr. Mima knows.
- Maestro is never referred to by his real name,
only his nickname given by Ajo. He was a contemporary of Mima
Murao, and likewise was an extremely talented engineer in the field
of robotics. However, whereas Murao refused to help Ajo willingly,
Maestro became jealous of Murao's success and fell for the high pay
offered by Ajo. Maestro is responsible for crafting the robot idols
used by Production Minos.
- Staff "A","B" and "C" are three scientists who
work on Ajo's secret (and often illegal) projects for both Ajo
Heavy Industries and Production Minos. The true names
of these men are never revealed, only their code names. They are
usually seen doing PPOR testing and Gel extraction. Though they are
highly paid, Ajo is not above using violence to ensure they obey
his orders and maintain secrecy.
Important Places &
Things
- Mamio Valley is a small town in a secluded,
rural, area of Japan. It is the hometown of Maestro and Mima
Tomkio. Dr. Mima eventually moved to Mamio Valley. The Shinto shrine at Mamio valley is
dedicated to Ame-no-Uzume. The maternal line of Tomiko's
family were traditionally miko at
that shrine, and all exhibited supernatural powers.
- Ajo Heavy Industries is a very large
corporation. Jinsaku Ajo is the President and CEO. While Ajo Heavy
Industries is not legally allowed to export weapons, Ajo is using
the company to develop and illegally sell his robot soldiers to
foreign countries.
- PPOR Robot The PPOR is a type of humanoid
combat robot developed by Ajo Heavy Industries. It is also
called a Sipe. In its standard configuration it
looks quite a bit like a humanoid skeleton. PPOR robot technology
is based on the Mima Formula. The robot is powered and
controlled by a component Ajo calls the power box, which
is filled with gel. The PPOR is both significantly
stronger and heavier than a human. They are capable of performing
many of the same actions as a human, including running, climbing,
and fighting. The operator of a PPOR can talk through a microphone;
the words are in turn "spoken" by the PPOR. Controlling a PPOR is
an extremely taxing process and they are prone to malfunction, as
their development is far from mature.
- Gel is a substance that contains a person's
will and "life force". It was originally discovered by Dr. Mima
when his daughter Toyoko creates some as a physical manifestation
of her supernatural powers. Gel is a pink gelatinous material. In
its natural form it is extremely cold (colder than dry ice), and therefore it must
be kept contained or it will dissipate into the air. Gel can be
forcibly extracted from a person through the use of the proper kind
of machine. However, this process weakens the person significantly,
as gel extraction is literally the process of pumping away a
person's life. If too much gel is extracted, the person becomes
comatose and may even die. On the other hand, gel is a powerful
medicine that can heal many ailments. If a healthy person is
injected with Gel they become stronger than a normal human, as is
the case with Sergei (D). Dr, Mima discovered that Gel may be used
as power source and control mechanism for robots, but once he
learned the truth about the gel extraction process he halted his
research on moral grounds--something which Ajo was not happy about.
Ajo Heavy Industries collects gel from human sources--such as
homeless people or enemies of the company--in order to fuel
PPORs.
- Production Minos is a show business production
agency that is wholly owned by Ajo Heavy Industries.
Production Minos officially exists to market Miho Utsuse's music
and concert program. In reality, it is a front for the further
development and promotion of the PPOR robot. The "Miho" which
appears on stage, as well as her backing band, are actually robots
based on PPOR techology.
- Mima Formula The Mima Formula is a set of
principles or rules for the construction and operation of robots,
based on Gel as a kind of fuel and control mechanism. The
basic principle is that gel can be extracted from a person and
placed into the robot. The gel then powers the robot and also
allows it to be controlled by the person who provided the gel. The
Mima Formula states that gel that has been extracted from a person
will only work with its original owner, and that gels extracted
from different people cannot co-exist in the same container. This
is why Sergei can control the original PPORs quite well (the gel
powering them came from him), and why Ajo's scientists cannot
properly operate the PPORs in later episodes (the gel in the PPOR
was not from the scientist controlling them).
- V & A is a company owned by Tamari
Sei'ichi. V&A's main business is the production of pornographic
videos and magazines. Key ends up at the V&A "office" during
the first episode. The name "V&A" is a bit of a joke. In Japan,
pornographic videos are often abbreviated "AV" for "Adult Video".
"V&A" is just these two letters switched around.
Cast
External
links
Wikis
Quiz
Search