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Votoms' Takahashi to Oversee Leiji Matsumoto's Ozuma

The Japanee television channel WOWOW opened a teaser site to confirm that it will premiere Ozuma, the first major new anime from creator Leiji Matsumoto (Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999) in five years, on March 16. It also listed the anime's staff:

Creator/Chief Setting Writer/Design: Leiji Matsumoto
Chief Director: Ryousuke Takahashi (Armored Trooper Votoms, Aoki Ryūsei SPT Layzner, episode in The Cockpit)
Director: Takahiro Ikezoe (Slap Up Party: Arad Senki-)
Scriptwriter: Junki Takegami (Naruto Shippūden, Hayate the Combat Butler)
Design Collaboration: Nobuteru Yūki (Record of Lodoss War, Escaflowne, Space Battleship Yamato 2199)
Mechanical Design: Hideyuki Matsumoto (Toward the Terra)
Production: Ozuma Production Committee

According to the Nikkan Sports newspaper, the story is set on Earth in the future when an anomaly on the sun devastates Earth's atmosphere and damages the ecosystem. The deterioration of DNA has reduced the birth rate drastically, which forces the government to make clones named "IC" (Ideal Children), as well as a new government body for IC.

Sam Coin, one of the so-called "Sand Pirates" who trades in the desert, is looking for the unidentified gigantic object, "Ozuma," which did his brother harm. One day, Sam rescued a beautiful girl, Maya, who was being chased by a sand destroyer ship owned by IC's army "Shishiasu." He took her with him to the Sand Pirates' ship, Barudanosu, sitting on the Port of Oaaze. However, the Barudanosu is under seige by the sand destroyer ship and its overwhelming military might.

The theme of the story is "to fight the limited timespan of life." Matsumoto said, "Because there is a limit to our lifespan, we wish to accomplish something before losing energy. This desire to not fade away but to continue forever, plays a role in passing a legacy to the next generation."

Even though this is Matsumoto's first major new anime in five years, his previous creations have inspired spinoff projects over the past decade.

Sources: Nikkan Sports, Anime! Anime!

Image © 2012 Leiji Matsumoto (original work) © 2012 Ozuma Production Committee