Reception
Paul Ward of Anime News Network gave the series a B−, saying, "There are lots of laughs to be had here; The animation here is very good, and consistent throughout the two episodes; the character designs are quite appealing, and a lot of bright colors are used, especially during the battle scenes. The Japanese voice actors are right on in their characters; there are a few higher-pitched voices here that might annoy some after a while, but for the most part, this is good voice acting. The English dub, by contrast, is rather flawed... the voices of Mill and Randy can get on your nerves rather quickly, and, as with most English dubs, the voices of most of the minor characters are leaden and uninspired. Most of the extras are DVD-ROM only, and the rating given is a bit deceiving based on content. Overall, this 2-episode OVA is mostly about one thing: making you laugh... the story isn't very complicated, nor does it try to be. The DVD release, while being flawed in some areas, is still a good buy, especially with the first TV episode included as a preview of things to come."[28]
Michael Predederva of Prede's Anime Reviews said, "The look of the show is very 80's inspired, but it is the music that convinces me that the entire production team was chronologically frozen in 1984 and thawed out in 1997 to make the thing. The show is also noteworthy for having the best ending theme ever made, which samples "Off the Wall" by Michael Jackson. The anime makes nods and references to anime series and Hollywood movies. In fact, its basic plot of a bunch of rebels trying to overthrow a cruel (but cool) Emperor is basically lifted straight from Star Wars (but instead of one Darth Vader there are two, Chic and Gorgeous who are even cooler and they never yell about podracing). I admit the show has a few gimmicks going on (some characters change genders, Ranchiki was Pico before there was Boku no Pico, and there's fanservice galore), but the story is entirely epic, the characters are likable and interesting, and it's well paced. Perhaps it's not the deepest thing ever, but it's a damn good show. It mixes fantasy and mecha elements together, but it also references The Wizard of Oz and pays homage to Slayers (head writer Katsumi Hasegawa was a writer for Slayers). The dub is also worth mentioning, it's probably Matlin Recording's best effort to date, although I'm sure Elisa Wain shouting, 'Big sister-brother!' or 'Ukyuu! Here we go!' haunts the dreams of many. It's a New York City dub, with some known actors, but plenty of unknowns. But the dub is far from a late era ADV dub, so don't expect perfection or anything."[17] Samantha Ferreira of Anime Herlad reviewed the series, saying, "Maze: The Mega-Burst Space is a series that could have been an utter disaster. It's laden with popular clichés, and isn’t above shamelessly borrowing from prominent properties. The animation is average at best, and the perverted humor often tip-toes just outside of the realms of "wrong". By some miracle, though, Maze was able to become something far greater. It's a charming fantasy adventure that treads its own unique path through the countless clichés. It's offbeat, quirky, and certainly not afraid to make fun of itself when needed."[29]
Carlos Ross of THEM Anime Reviews called the series a "silly fantasy" and a "genuine fan-service anime."[30] Daniel Kurland of CBR stated that the series was "a broad parody works well as a two-episode experiment", but criticized the story, saying that it did not work in a 25-episode format, with "its weaknesses becom[ing] more obvious".[31] Kara Dennison of Otaku USA said, "Between the weird story, the earworm ending theme, and how generally strange all the characters were… well, no, I can't account for my anime club on this one. But every group has that one show, right?"[32]
