Maze: The Mega-Burst Space
Maze: The Mega-Burst Space is a Japanese fantasy and science-fiction light-novel franchise that expanded into manga, animation, audio drama, and a tabletop role-playing game.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Maze: The Mega-Burst Space, known in Japanese as MAZE☆爆熱時空 (Maze Bakunetsu Jikū), is a Japanese multimedia fantasy and science-fiction franchise created by writer Satoru Akahori and illustrator Eiji Suganuma. Its central character, Maze, is transported from the modern world into a conflict-ridden alternate dimension after losing much of her memory. The premise combines portal fantasy, magical technology, gender transformation, comedy, romance, and conventional heroic adventure. Maze exists in two alternating identities: a female daytime form associated with the pacifist Mei Ikaruga and a male nighttime form associated with her brother Akira. This duality is used both as a source of humor and as a major element of the story’s mythology and combat system. The franchise’s immediate publishing history is connected to earlier works by Kia Asamiya. A prototype concept began as the manga Ijikū GyōKitan OZ, serialized in Comic JAM from 1986 to 1988. Publication was disrupted when its publisher, Tairiku Shobo, entered bankruptcy proceedings in 1992. Related material later appeared in Movic’s side-A and in Hobby Japan’s RPG Magazine, but the earlier version was discontinued. Akahori and Suganuma subsequently developed the better-known Maze light-novel series, which Kadokawa Shoten published from July 1993 through March 1998. The main narrative begins when Maze awakens in a damaged house with amnesia. Princess Mill Varna explains that the house fell from the sky and accidentally saved her from pursuers. The pair soon become targets of the Jaina religious faction, which has attacked Mill’s family and seized political power. Maze discovers the ability to use phantom-light magic and to operate Dulger, a powerful Demi-Armor linked to Mill’s royal lineage. Their journey develops into a campaign to protect Mill, recover her kingdom, understand Maze’s origins, and defeat the forces behind the political and supernatural upheaval. The property became a broader media franchise during the mid-1990s. A manga adaptation ran in Comic Dragon from 1996 to 2000. J.C.Staff produced an original video animation series in 1996, followed by a television anime in 1997, a sequel film, and a radio drama. A related spin-off manga, The Legend of the Holy Armored Machine, began in Newtype 100% Comics in 1996 but remained unfinished after the magazine was discontinued. A tabletop role-playing game was released in 1997. In North America, Central Park Media licensed the OVA and television anime for DVD distribution through its Software Sculptors label; the television series was also shown through Comcast’s Anime Selects On Demand service. Maze is therefore not a Swedish food brand, despite the supplied country and industry metadata. The authoritative Wikipedia subject identifies it as a Japanese fictional publishing and entertainment franchise. Its commercial identity is based on intellectual property and licensed media rather than consumer staples or food products. No current operating company, independent corporate entity, or active official website is established by the supplied reference material.
History
Maze developed from a sequence of Japanese fantasy and science-fiction projects associated with creator Satoru Akahori and illustrator Eiji Suganuma. The earliest related concept was Ijikū GyōKitan OZ, a manga illustrated by Kia Asamiya and serialized in Comic JAM between 1986 and 1988. Its publication history was unstable: Tairiku Shobo later went bankrupt, leaving the manga unfinished. Chapters were subsequently collected or published through Movic’s side-A in 1996. A substantially similar version also appeared in Hobby Japan’s RPG Magazine under the shorter title Jikū Kitan OZ. That serialization ran through issues one to six in 1990, entered a nominal hiatus, and was ultimately discontinued. The Maze light-novel series provided the franchise’s principal foundation. Kadokawa Shoten published the novels from July 27, 1993, to March 26, 1998. The story follows Maze, an amnesiac traveler from another world who becomes involved in the survival and restoration of Princess Mill Varna. The setting combines conventional fantasy kingdoms with Demi-Armors, large combat machines that function as magical or technological weapons. Maze’s ability to summon and pilot Dulger, together with her unusual alternating male and female identities, establishes the franchise’s distinctive premise. The daytime female Maze and nighttime male Maze possess different temperaments and combat capabilities, while the larger plot gradually explains their relationship and their role in the world’s mythology. The property expanded rapidly in the mid-1990s. A manga adaptation, written by Akahori and illustrated by Suganuma, was serialized in Comic Dragon from October 31, 1996, through January 31, 2000. J.C.Staff produced a two-episode OVA in 1996 and then a television anime beginning in 1997. The animated continuity was accompanied by a sequel film and a radio drama. The franchise also generated The Legend of the Holy Armored Machine, a spin-off manga that began in December 1996 but was left incomplete after the discontinuation of Newtype 100% Comics. In May 1997, a tabletop role-playing game written by Akira Tano offered another way to use the setting and characters. Narratively, the franchise moves from accidental rescue and comic confusion into a larger war. Mill’s family has been displaced by Jaina, a powerful religious and political faction. Maze and Mill assemble a traveling group that includes the Demi-Armor hunters Solude and Aster, the fairy Randy, the knight and pilot Rapier, and other allies. They confront Jaina’s agents, including Gorgeous and Chic, while investigating the origins of Maze’s powers. The climax links Maze to the Creator, a shape-changing antagonist and ancestor whose actions are connected to the imbalance that brought Maze into the alternate world. Dulger and the Demi-Armor system provide the series with a mecha-adventure framework, while the alternating identities of Maze complicate questions of memory, family, sexuality, and personal responsibility. For overseas audiences, Central Park Media licensed both the OVA and television anime in North America and released them on DVD through Software Sculptors. The television series also received exposure through Comcast’s Anime Selects On Demand channel. The supplied references do not establish a current publisher, owner, official website, continuing production program, or active corporate entity. Accordingly, Maze is best catalogued as a Japanese media franchise and fictional intellectual property, not as a Swedish food or consumer-staples brand.
- 2000
Manga serialization ends
[1]The main manga adaptation concludes after running in Comic Dragon since 1996.
- 1997
Television anime and RPG released
[1]The television anime begins broadcasting and the Maze tabletop role-playing game is published.
- 1996
Manga and OVA adaptations launch
[1]The Comic Dragon manga begins, and J.C.Staff releases the first animated OVA episodes.
- 1993
Maze novels begin publication
[1]Kadokawa Shoten starts publishing the Maze light novels.
- 1990
OZ RPG Magazine serialization
[1]A related version, Jikū Kitan OZ, appears in Hobby Japan’s RPG Magazine before being discontinued.
- 1986
Earlier OZ manga begins
[1]The related manga Ijikū GyōKitan OZ begins serialization in Comic JAM, establishing an earlier form of the concept later associated with Maze.
Products and positioning
A comedic portal-fantasy franchise combining magical mecha, gender transformation, ensemble adventure, romance, and science-fiction mythology.
Light novels · 1993
Maze: The Mega-Burst Space light novels
The original principal publication series, written by Satoru Akahori and illustrated by Eiji Suganuma. Kadokawa Shoten published it from 1993 to 1998. It establishes Maze’s alternate-world setting, the dual identity of Mei and Akira Ikaruga, Princess Mill’s political struggle, the Demi-Armors, and the conflict with Jaina and the Creator.
Manga · 1996
Maze manga
A manga adaptation written by Akahori and illustrated by Suganuma. It ran in Comic Dragon from 1996 to 2000 and translated the novel franchise’s fantasy quest, character relationships, and magical-mecha action into serialized comics.
Original video animation · 1996
Maze OVA
A two-episode J.C.Staff animation released in 1996. It introduced the property to an audiovisual audience and helped establish the distinctive blend of comic fantasy, transformed identities, ensemble travel, and Demi-Armor combat.
Television anime · 1997
Maze television anime
A television adaptation broadcast from 1997, continuing the animated presentation of Maze’s journey with Mill and the wider party. The television version was later licensed for North American home-video distribution and television-on-demand exposure.
Tabletop role-playing game · 1997
Maze Bakunetsu Jikū RPG
A tabletop role-playing game written by Akira Tano and released in 1997. It adapts the franchise’s setting, characters, phantom-light powers, and Demi-Armor concepts for player-created adventures.
Spin-off manga · 1996
Maze: The Legend of the Holy Armored Machine
A spin-off manga written by Akahori and illustrated by Suganuma. It began in Newtype 100% Comics in 1996 but remained unfinished after the publication line was discontinued.
Controversies
2020
Cognizant confirms Maze ransomware attack
Cognizant confirmed that a security incident involving its internal systems and causing service disruptions for some clients resulted from a Maze ransomware attack. The article states that the status of the attack was unknown at the time and does not establish that data was exfiltrated.
Brand decisions
1997
Expansion into television and tabletop gamingProduct launchBackground
The franchise sought additional formats beyond novels, manga, and the OVA.
Action taken
A television anime began broadcasting and Maze Bakunetsu Jikū RPG was released.
Aftermath
Maze became a cross-media property with animated, audio, print, and tabletop components.
1996
Animated franchise expansionProduct launchBackground
After the light novels established the property, the franchise moved into manga and animation during 1996.
Action taken
A Comic Dragon manga adaptation and a J.C.Staff OVA were launched.
Aftermath
The property subsequently received a television anime, film, radio drama, and game adaptation.
Recent events
- 1997
Maze television anime begins broadcasting[1]
Product launch
A television adaptation expands the franchise beyond its OVA release and light-novel base.
- 1997
Maze tabletop role-playing game is released[1]
Product launch
Maze Bakunetsu Jikū RPG, written by Akira Tano, extends the property into tabletop gaming.
- 1996
Maze receives an animated OVA adaptation[1]
Product launch
J.C.Staff produces a two-episode original video animation adaptation, with the first episode released in July 1996.
- 1993
Kadokawa publishes the Maze light-novel series[1]
Product launch
Kadokawa Shoten begins publication of Satoru Akahori and Eiji Suganuma’s Maze light-novel franchise.
Central Park Media licenses Maze for North America[1]
Other
Central Park Media licenses the OVA and television anime for North American DVD release under the Software Sculptors label.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/maze · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled