“Stronger than anticipated sales of anime DVDs” from FUNimation led parent Navarre to earnings nearly ten times those of the same period a year ago for the quarter ended June 30th, according to financial information released after the bell on Wednesday.  Sales in the publishing segment, which includes FUNimation were down $2.5 million dollars, but the shuttered BCI division had accounted for $4.4 million in sales in the year ago period; so FUNimation sales were up about $1.9 million from the same quarter in 2008.

FUNimation also benefited from a $1.75 million agency fee from the Bandai Dragon Ball videogame license (see “Videogame Rights Awarded”).    

Navarre earnings were $4.2 million for the period, up from $627,000 in the same quarter a year ago.