Leiji Matsumoto’s OZMA has been 30 years in the making and is launching one year after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the Northeast coast of Japan. We’re encouraging fans to donate to the Japanese Red Cross to benefit the revitalization efforts.
Below are more details about the show, plus screenshots, from the press release (note that FTISLAND performs the theme song!):
Leiji Matsumoto’s OZMA is a new 6-part series by the legendary Manga writer. The series will first broadcast on Friday, March 16 at midnight, on Japanese satellite broadcast provider WOWOW Prime. Then 24 hours after the broadcast, it will debut on Viki.com, where fans from more than 200 countries (excluding Japan) will be able to view the show for the first time.
More than 30 years in the making, Leiji Matsumoto’s OZMA is based on a science-fiction action concept developed by Matsumoto and is produced in conjunction with WOWOW, Viki, Equity Pictures Japan, Pony Canyon and Slow Curve. The show unfolds on an arid and devastated future Earth, and involves the mysterious, giant and moving “OZMA.” An epic space opera that entwines exciting sci-fi action and a suspenseful story, Matsumoto tackles the ultimate question of life and its existence.
To visualize OZMA, anime veterans Ryosuke Takahashi (chief director), Takahiro Ikezoe (director) and Junki Takegami (script writer) behind such hits as Armored Trooper VOTOMS, Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto and One Piece all contributed to the series. Matsumoto is the writer behind dozens of Manga and Anime classics, including The Galaxy Railways, Space Pirate Captain Harlock and Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato).
The show’s opening theme is the new song "NEVERLAND” by the popular K-pop band FTISLAND, which has won many music awards, including the Golden Disk Awards’ “Newcomer Award” with the overwhelming support of teenagers. The closing theme song is "Utagoe" by the talented Minami Kizuki, who has recently been active in the international arena.
