Leiji Matsumoto’s Ozma

Nostalgia. Beyond any doubt that was the overwhelming sensation felt while watching the first episodes of “オズマ”, a new anime series based on Leiji Matsumoto’s work.

Shows like “Saint Seiya”, “City Hunter” and “Hokuto no Ken” were among the first anime I saw as a child and while I do recall “Galaxy Express 999“, memories of that show faded away into a few vague fragments.

Nonetheless, upon seeing the character design style, the thick line work and colors used, as well as the overall look of the technology and costumes in “Ozma”, it all felt very familiar, bearing that unmistakable Leiji Matsumoto signature.

While such an older type of animation style is a welcome change compared to current trending styles, did notice that the animation throughout these first two episodes was rather inconsistent, with several scenes and character facial expressions being visibly flawed.

Could it perhaps be due to the fact this design and character style is so old that current studios have more trouble rendering it well? Or maybe the budget simply isn’t that large, though they do have well known seiyuu in the cast.

The mysterious Maya is voiced by Tanaka Rie who has voiced characters like Chii in “Chobits”, Maria in “Hayate no Gotoku!”, Chizuru in “Shinryaku! Ika Musume” and Minna in “Strike Witches”.
Fujimura Ayumi voices feisty Mimei, she also voiced Eiko in “Shinryaku! Ika Musume” as well was Audrey/Mineva in the running “Gundam Unicorn” OVA series.

Red-headed fiery captain Bainas is voiced by Tanaka Atsuko, she previously voiced characters like Caster in “Fate/stay night” and of course voiced Motoko Kusanagi in the various “Ghost in the Shell” movies & series. Perhaps it is due to Tanaka Atsuko having voiced the major, but was soon enthralled by Bainas.

Plan on watching the rest of series as it airs, even though the animation may not be terrific, this old school atmosphere and the promise of an enthralling plot are plenty to keep me interested.

But will that along with nostalgia really be enough to make this into a great show? We shall see!