It's funny how it's the companies that fans don't necessarily have a lot of respect for that surprise you. First Tokyopop with it's decision to release its new manga line-up unreversed and with the original SFX intact, and now FUNimation's Operation Anime. Since I'm a member of the exec in my anime club, I'd actually known something of this project before I read about it in the Animenation news section today, but I didn't realize that it was such a widespread effort. Hopefully this project will mark a new era of improved company-fan relations and more responsible anime clubs.
Operation Anime is probably one of the biggest efforts put out by a North American releasing company to gain fan feedback. (If nothing else, I haven't heard about similar efforts on the parts of other companies.) Fans have always tried to make themselves heard to companies through petitions, emails, forums and the like, but in this case, FUNimation is the one reaching out to fans, and the significance of this cannot be underestimated.
Ideally, anime clubs will reciprocate by setting higher standards of conduct for themselves. For example, some clubs continue to show fansubs even after a series has been licensed; they simply don't care what the companies think. If Operation Anime suceeds as the first step in developing relationships with companies and clubs, perhaps the frequency of such incidents will decrease.
Perhaps I am being overly optimistic, or overestimating the impact of the project, but nonetheless, I can't help but feel a renewed sense of faith in North American anime releasing companies.
