looks pretty much like the pelikan black I know. not a huge fan of the faded grey once it dries.
as to your question about nib size, Japanese nibs are measured differently from Western nibs; typically they are finer.
eg.
Western EF = Jap F
Western F = Jap M
the line that a pen lays down is a function of nib size, wetness of ink, and paper quality. without keeping at least 2 of the variables constant, it is hard to make a fair comparison. Some of the goulet comparisons seemed off to me as well, but for the most part, it is a great resource for comparing nibs.
The pilot metro uses the same nib as a few other pilot pens which are rather affordable, and can be swapped out. Off the top of my head, for an even finer nib (0.2mm I believe), you'd need the pilot penmanship. There's a italic from the plumix and a few other options I can't recall. Not too bad if you like the metro's body and just want a nib change, but the costs do add up. If you're looking for a single daily basher it might be a better choice to shell out for something better.
As for smoothness, a Japanese F would still be very smooth, smoother if you do the paper bag trick. The nibs only start to get a little toothy as you go towards EF and UEF.