Nozomi has some pretty big plans for the Fall '09 release-- each DVD collection will include a 100+-page booklet with information about the series and its mythology; the books were included with the original Japanese release, too. They're also pulling a Haruhi and offering the show in two different orders, the broadcast order and the actual chronological order.
The official website has already gone online, with a trailer as well as other information on the series. Here's their blurb:
"When Itsuki Iba inherits the position of president for the Astral 'magic-for-hire' service, he and his colleagues find themselves battling dangerous rivals in a fight for their company's very survival. Will Itsuki be Astral's final president And is he really as powerless as he seems?"
It's a pretty solid show with really strong visuals, as I recall-- the light novel series it's based on is pretty popular, too. Good stuff!
Re: the episode order... Not having read the novels (and not having had contact with the Japanese creative team), I can't say for sure. Sometimes -- to make a story "translate" well from page to screen (and to make it accessible to those who haven't read the books) -- screenwriters do rearrange things to make them play better in the new medium, in this case a 24-ep anime series.
We pay attention to stuff, like the Haruhi releases. So when we realized that two viewing orders existed, we wanted you to have easy access to both options. :-)
but Zetsubou T_T