Ask John: Can You Explain the Continuity of Maze?

Question:
I recently picked up the new Software Sculptors release “Maze” because I’d heard that the series was funny, but the tape I got doesn’t seem to be the beginning of the series! Presumably this is an OAV which was based on a TV series, but it sure looks like just another two episodes of a TV series. So, the question is: Where does this release fit in the series continuity? Is it representative of the rest and will Software Sculptors or somebody be releasing the rest?

Answer:
Maze Bakunetsu Jiku premiered with a two episode OAV series set chronologically in the middle of the journey that begins and ends in the TV series. The Maze TV series appeared about a year after the release of the original OAV series. All of the characters and characterizations remain consistent from the OAVs into the TV series, but the nudity and outrageous sexual humor of the OAV series got toned way down for the TV series. Central Park Media will begin releasing the Maze TV series in September. Fans of the OAVs will want to follow the TV series, as the TV series reveals the origin of Maze’s name, why Maze transforms into a boy, and who that boy is. In 1998, Maze also had a major theatrical movie release in Japan as a double-bill with the Welcome to Lodoss Island movie. The Maze movie introduced new characters, but, I’m sorry to say, I don’t know anything more about the movie than this. Although the film was released theatrically in 1998, neither the Maze movie nor the SD Lodoss Wars movie have ever been released on Japanese home-video.