3/5 It was rather....OK.
  by Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California)
I wasn't expecting too much from this anime, so I came in with an open mind. For the Maze series, the OAV's came before the TV series and thus with the OAV, you see situations that are more for adults and the TV series, things are toned down for the children who come home in the afternoons in Japan.

With that out of the way, the series was interesting and it did keep my interest. It's not a superb anime but it was entertaining. The anime though is not as sharp as other OAV's that came out during the mid or late 90's. It seemed like TV quality OAV's.

As for the DVD, special features include the first episode of the series (is this a special feature?) and a "meet the cast" which is nothing and the trailers which are from Hasegawa Katsumi's (screenwriter) other works.

Perhaps if I had a DVD-Rom, I would say more positive things but at this time, if you can rent it...rent it. It is a good anime but again...nothing great.

3/5 Trying to stretch something that's already whacked out
  by
The 2-episode OVA deals with Maze and friends in the kingdom of Babylon. While it's only a single event in an RPG timeline, the producers decided to load this with tons of slapstick and fan service (hence the nudity and the quiz shows). Of course they could have toned it down (and removed the scene where male Maze raped Mix and turns out she liked it) Other than that you won't like the characters unless you watch the TV series. The concept is slightly different from Ranma because we have two different personalities inhabiting the same body (unlike Ranma who as a girl somehow retains his male preferences and attitude) An OVA should be a retelling of a TV series with fewer episodes and more artistry, but here they just went crazy. It's still watchable and enjoyable, but watch the TV series first if you don't want to be put off--they shouldn't have released this before the series. The 13up rating should be a 17up.

4/5 Great comedic fantasy fun! Addictive!
  by Holly Ellingwood (Ontario Canada)
This is fantastic! It had me laughing out loud at their comedic antics including some gender-bending confusion not dissimilar to Ranma 1/2. My only complaint was that it's too short! I want to see more! At least though the main story is wrapped up in that time. the animation is very well done & the action is a fluid pleasure to watch. Well paced comedy mixed with action that was thoroughly enjoyable. The subtitles were well done (timing good & print clear, easy to read) & so was the dubbing which fit the characters very well in my opinion. The bonus first episode of the television series was a great addition & also fun viewing that added more background information. It definitely leaves you wanting to watch more. With the intriguing places & even more interesting characters it's easily one of my new favourites as well as being addictive!

1/5 Unwatchable
  by Antsoton (Southampton, UK)
Did I watch the same disc as everyone else? Because what I saw in 'Maze' was nothing other than an extremely tired 'group of explorers wander around a forest and battle some evil Kings' pseudo-Slayers knockoff.

Maze has odd moments of gratuitous female nudity (presumably the "fan service" euphemistically referred to so often), a bit of mecha, and a bit of attempted self-reverential comedy where the group are quizzed on the identities and activities of the various publishers and producers of the Maze series. But it just doesn't pull any of it off.

The lead character, Maze, just isn't interesting. Okay, when night falls she turns into a repellent, slobbering man. Is that it? It's not even slightly funny or likeable, (unlike, say, Carrot Glace in Sorcerer Hunters)

I kept waiting for this anime to get started. It didn't. I kept waiting for the moment when I'd be interested. I wasn't. And now I'm struggling to think of one good thing to say about Maze. And I can't. I own and admire a lot of anime series but I genuinely cannot see one redeeming feature or anything that's remotely likeable in this one. An utter, utter waste of time.

4/5 Slapstick anime at it's best
  by Emmanuel Umoren (Oswego, IL United States)
If you don't mind lots of nudity and fan service in your anime this is the right one for you. This movie is really more of a teaser to the television series. Something more to wet your appetite than anything else. The characters are already developed and their special skills already learned. On the other hand the comedy is out there. They make so much fun of themselves it's ridiculous. Lots of fun!!