According to ANN yesterday, Leiji Matsumoto (creator of "Captain Harlock" and "Galaxy Express 999" and director of the original "Space Battleship Yamato") has another anime project he's currently working on, and this one's a six-part animated T.V. miniseries to launch on March 16, 2012. This anime, first developed back in the 1980s, is titled "Ozuma" (alternately known as "Ozma"), and according to Matsumoto, this miniseries will be an environmentally-themed tale of a war between sand pirates and a military force of clones in a future where Earth's being swallowed by the sea of sands with a message about the desire to battle the limited lifespan of life in order to accomplish desirable goals before facing the loss of energy.

This will be the first Leiji Mtasumoto anime since "Space Pirate Captain Herlcok: Endless Odyssey" to feature designs by Nobuteru Yuki, who's currently working on character designs for the upcoming "Space Battleship Yamato 2199". Moreover, Ryosuke Takahashi of "Armored Trooper VOTOMS" fame (who also directed the third installment of Leiji Matsumoto's "The Cockpit" OVA anthology) will be serving as its chief director.

9:18 AM Canada EST