Some of you might remember this trailer from several years ago when it made the rounds. http://www.youtube.com/?v=Fd6tn42F5b8
They were eventually able to get an international co-production going and are finally in the middle of making a full 26 episode season. Where the original promo was all 3D, they've moved to 2D animation for the characters while keeping 3D for backgrounds and race scenes. I must say it looks a lot better even though they did a pretty good job with the earlier 3D characters. There's a new trailer here for the series. http://www.savtheworld.com/eng/oban_trailer.php3

It's the first anime influenced western show that doesn't look to me like an utter disappointment at first glance. It feels like anime. They do use some of the animation staples, but it's not overdone. Character's movements looks "right" somehow and displayed emotions feel genuine.