Maze

by Orin Starchaser

From the opening to the ending, MAZE BAKUNETSU JIKUUis a laugh riot, but is ill-suited for younger fans. MAZE has actually been around for quite a while, running both as a monthly manga title in COMIC DRAGON and also as a series of radio dramas. Still, this is its debut as an OVA, and it is done rather well. As a warning to younger would-be audiences, though, this would probably be a PG-13 rating (at least) were it in U.S. theatres.
A viewer who sees and hears Miru's "Ujyuuu! Ujyuuu!" in place of the MGM lion is sure to be in for a ride. Since the dramas and the manga have a history that the OVA does not, Miru (Tange Sakura) does a quick puppet show to describe the events up to now (which in itself is pretty funny). Miru is a princess wandering about in the forest who runs across a girl by the name of Maze. She also finds other friends: Soryudo (Orikasa Ai), Asuta, and Sarisu (Kobayashi Yuuko). Maze is actually very powerful, since she controls a giant creature (of sorts). Unfortunately, at night, she turns into a very, very lecherous young man. This of course is something that the half-witted princess sees as rather fun.
The creator of this series, Akahori Satoru, in writing this series, seems to be somewhat insane, but the show is really funny. For those of you who have seen DRAGON HALF, this is just slightly more riotous, with a decidedly more "ecchi" edge to it and less SD animation. The voice actors contribute to this chaos whenever possible, and are good at it, considering the talents of Orikasa Ai, Kobayashi Yuuko, (Ryouko and Washuu from TENCHI MUYO), and Miss Tange. Also, one of the bit characters, Mix, is played by Nishihara Kumiko, who some might remember from NINJA MONO.
The animation is not exactly ground-shaking, but the comedy and voice actors more than make up for it. Still, considering the expense of Japanese LDs (or even VHS tapes), I suggest giving this a closer look before deciding to add it to one's collection.