May.15.08 | 6:29PM | Mobile Suit Awesome!

The newest Gundam series to hit Japan, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, has been licensed for release in North America. (Link) That hasn't stopped me however, as I already have had the privilege to watch it how it was meant to be. Mendoi-Conclave, (Menclave) who have already subbed the first twenty-five episodes, did a spectacular job with the translations. Aside from that, they have preserved the quality of the anime, with a 720p quality release. It's the first Gundam to be produced in high-definition (HD) and let me tell you, on my 20" iMac, even fullscreen, it looks superb! The first season has already been aired in Japan, with a second season slated for October 2008. Gundam has still yet to show its age and with this series, it is the first to be set in a non-fictional time period, Anno Domini. (A.D.)

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is set in the 24th Century, where humanity has run out of fossil fuel reserves. The only option left for the world was to develop a new source of energy. Now, humans rely on the power of the sun, with three orbital stations and subsequent orbital elevators to reach them. The three factions on Earth are the Union, the Advanced European Union (AEU), and the Human Reform Leauge (HRL), each with control of a portion of the world. In a race to bring peace to the world, Celestial Being, a private paramilitary force founded by scientist, Aeolia Schenberg, must intervene all conflicts on Earth. The four Gundam pilots in Celestial Being, Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism, and Tieria Erde must stop the Union, AEU and HRL in their tracks, while at the same time protecting themselves from the hatred of the world. No date set on a North American airing, but it will most likely air on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.