Honoo no Labyrinth

Labyrinth of Flames is horny, goofy, and funny as hell, proudly leaning into anime's most ridiculous tropes from start to finish. However, it does so in a way which preserves its unique little world as something all its own, not feeling like carbon-copy ecchi slop that's so common in the medium. Beginning with the story, Labyrinth of Flames finds itself following in the footsteps of the inimitable Golden Boy, with an oblivious yet optimistic horndog of a protagonist surrounded by beautiful women getting wrapped up into hijinks of a nature far beyond his comprehension, and sometimes more serious than he ... is made to handle. In this way, Labyrinth of Flames does well, delivering regular laughs, and crafting a short tale that is simultaneously eager and self-aware. It excels in laying on the stupid, lowbrow humor, while not losing itself in it. The best part of the writing is how they harp on Galan, and make frequent jokes referencing the fact he's Russian. However, it isn't perfect. In a show like this, it has to absolutely nail the execution, and for the most part it does. However, there are moments where the comedy falls flat, and certain gags which don't land, and when you only have 2 episodes there's only so much room for error. Most of these have to do with jokes surrounding the father, Shigemitsu, who I believe was intended to be much funnier than he was, but I'll get to that later.

The art is the strong point of this anime, wreathed in that characteristic warmth and detail which 90s anime is known for, despite being released in the year 2000. Pretty much everything about it is fantastic, from the vibrant use of color, to the character design, and seamless execution of visual gags. I can't emphasize enough how beautiful the art is, and how much it adds to the type of comedy this show is trying to pull off. I also must mention that, while this is an ecchi anime, complete with the frequent use of low camera angles, it's actually way more tame than you'd expect. It only just earns that title, to be honest. I'm not making a judgement on that one way or the other, it's just a creative decision I wasn't expecting.

The sound is great, with fantastic voice acting, sounds of life, and music. The soundtrack is particularly notable for its Russian musical motifs, and the bold use of 'Kalinka' as the ED song, which is a wild choice when contrasted with the slow panning shots of scantily clad anime women, adding an almost surreal element to the comedy. The characters are notably stronger than one would typically expect in an ecchi, and I think this is part of why the whole thing feels so put together.

All the characters have their own quirks, even the myriad anime girls who are usually only there to be sexy in your typical ecchi. Kasumi is a maid in a short-skirted uniform, but she's also awkward and literally anemic, leaning on an IV stand nearly the entire show. Natsu is the rich heiress of her influential family, but she also has rage issues and often takes matters into her own hands. Galan is our oblivious Russian protagonist as mentioned earlier, but he's also a massive weeb, who wants nothing more than to be a real life samurai. These descriptions only scratch the surface, but they're not all great. Specifically Natsu's father, Shigemitsu, who comes off as a one-note, run-of-the-mill pervert, with no other crazy trait about him. Everybody else has really funny contrasting traits, so he comes off as one-note, and takes the wind out the sails of certain scenes he's in. Of the cast, my favorites are Kasumi, for her hilariously unique character archetype as the anemic yet obsessive maid, and Galan, as a well-written goofball protagonist who fits perfectly as the leading man for this kind of story. Overall, Labyrinth of Fire is lovable garbage, and though it does have some unmistakable flaws, it features a much better execution than one would expect going in, which betrays a level of creativity and dedication that elevates this title above its comparable peers in the ecchi genre.

This is the essence of anime.
Labyrinth of Flames is a completely wacked out little OVA that never stops coming at you the whole way through.
Its funny, its sexy, it has unique & memorable characters, it has fantastic animation, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and it doesn't overstay it's welcome.
It doesn't have any deep lore, it doesn't have fight scenes that you'll find on anyone's Top 10 Anime Battles of All Time list, it doesn't have a touching romantic resolution between the main guy and girl, but it doesn't need any of that.
Because this anime has soul. Soul that drips from every word and frame. ... Soul that reminds you why you love anime.

Labyrinth of Flames is the anime of anime.

I guess what I'm saying is, it's pretty good.

Not bad for an early 2000s anime. I found this one mildly funny although it kind of left more to be desired in my opinion. The plot was more or less basic and most of the characters were entertaining hilariously, still it did not grab me for some reason.

The main male protagonist was okay yet Natsu and her aunt were the only two characters who I really liked.

While I love Samurai-themed anime, this one did not excite me as much as I thought it would but made me laugh when the humor was well struck. It's not terrible but at the same time kind ... of meh.