How Did "Key the Metal Idol" Come Together?
Not all features about idol singers are MEGAZONE or MACROSS. KEY: THE METAL IDOL started life as a project commemorating studio Pony Canyon's 10th year in the OAV business. Fuji TV, another company with a past history of idol productions, also jumped in, and the series--originally intended for seven 25-minute episodes--was born.
KEY, based on character concepts by Kunihiko Tanakaha, developed into an original story by director Hiroaki Sato. Character designs and animation direction are by Keiichi Ishikura; art direction is by Yukihiro Shibuya, music by Tamiya Terashima. Studio Pierrot, makers of the DEBUT OAV (based on the simulation game about, appropriately, three aspiring idol singers), took over the animation.
Combining elements of PINOCCHIO and robot anime, old-fashioned idol singers with a self-conscious modern sensibility, KEY is daringly subtle for a mainstream release. Beginning with its heroine's nickname, Key ("Kii" is Japanese for "strange"), the series enters weird waters from the beginning. Exploitative idol producers want to use the incredibly young-looking Key for nude photos. Religious cults lurk in the background. The line between machine and human blurs. But despite the dark setting, Key and her friends are hopeful, charming characters -- even Key, who manages to be sympathetic while showing no emotion at all.
KEY was an experiment in more ways than its story; in Japan, the first volume was value-priced at 1000 yen (around $10 U.S.), and subsequent releases were only 2500 yen. This in an economy where new anime is often sold for 5000 yen or more! The risky venture succeeded financially as well as artistically, leading to the second season of six additional KEY episodes, as well as two full-length KEY movies.
Source: VIZ.com