Today, ANN reveals some interesting news regarding Leiji Matsumoto, the legendary creator of Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999 and director of the original Space Battleship Yamato T.V. series. The news reveals that yesterday, Matsumoto-sensei got his Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters decoration the French Embassy in Tokyo, and according to the French government, this kind of decoration is a sign of honor for "individuals who have contributed in art, literature, and other areas". Well, a few anime based on his manga works (most notably 1978's Space Pirate Captain Harlock in the French language dubbed form of Albator - Le Corsair de L'Espace) did gain popluarity among France-based otaku when they appeared dubbed in French language for French television broadcasts, and the poluraity of his works in France would later lead to his joining forces with Daft Punk, who are fans of his, for the making of the Japan/France co-production Interstella 5555 - 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.

My congrats to Leiji Matsumoto on receiving this form of honor, with many more of his manga and anime greatness to look forward to in the future.

10:22 PM Canada EST