"Bandai Entertainment President and CEO Ken Iyadomi will announce at an Anime Expo panel on Saturday the details on the company's release of Mobile Suit Gundam 00, the latest television series in the long-running Gundam science-fiction franchise."

"The series starts a new timeline, based on our own real-world A.D. history, in which mankind has splintered into three major factions. A group known as the Celestial Being aims to eradicate war with giant robotic mecha known as Gundams and their Gundam Meister pilots."

"Seiji Mizushima's Seiji Mizushima directed this series, and Honey and Clover's Yousuke Kuroda oversaw the scripts. Yun Kouga. Loveless and Earthian manga creator Yun Kouga is designing the original characters, which Basilisk's Michinori Chiba adapted for animation. The first 25 episodes ran from October of 2007 to April of 2008." Source: Bandai Entertainment to Announce Gundam 00 License Details (Updated) - Anime News Network

Not surprising in the least.

Bandai has nearly every Gundam title.

I will admit that Bandai has treated its Gundam licenses better than most studios handle the bigger and more lucrative series. Just look at how Warner Bros. has treated Batman and Superman in the past. Or how success shows and cartoons get shoved off to the side once their initial success has run out. An even better example is how Devils Due Production produced the new Voltron comics back in 2004-2005. Voltron's comic run was great in the beginning but during the second volume run, the quality of artwork and story dropped significantly while DDP's 3 or 4 various Transformer/GI Joe comics increased in artwork, story and number of issues on sale per month.

Bandai is one of those companies that has treated a lucrative property with the respect and publicity that it needs to stay successful. I'll be looking forward to picking up Gundam 00 when it hits the dvd shelves.