Navarre's FUNimation Entertainment Delivers Anime to iTunes

Navarre's FUNimation Entertainment Delivers Anime to iTunes

Top-rated Anime Available Immediately on The iTunes Store

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation (NASDAQ:NAVR), and the market share leader for the home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States, today announced that it will make top-rated anime series available on the iTunes Store ( http://www.itunes.com/ ). Effective today some of the world's best Anime series including "Desert Punk," "Speed Grapher" and Akira Kurosawa's "Samurai 7" are available for download priced at $1.99 (U.S.) per episode.

"We are very excited to make anime available for download to our fans in the United States," said Cary Deacon, CEO of Navarre Corporation. "Bringing this compelling content to iTunes is a first step in Navarre's new digital distribution initiative."

"Our anime series will be the first offered on iTunes and will expose a wider audience to the unique storytelling and graceful animation inherent in this Japanese style of entertainment," stated Gen Fukunaga, President and CEO of FUNimation Entertainment. "This is a great opportunity to offer our top-rated anime series through the world's most popular online music, TV and movie store."

FUNimation anime series available for immediate purchase and download on iTunes include:

"Desert Punk"

This series is a fresh take on traditional anime. It is a stark and darkly comedic series that employs strikingly realistic weaponry, alongside gritty and rough character design. Desert Punk shocks those who think they know what "anime" looks like! It is a bold new direction in both story and style.

"Speed Grapher"

Speed Grapher is a stylish near-future action series full of intensity, forbidden lust and conspiracy. Using a fast-moving, high stakes plotline, the series breaks new ground with its realistic, fashionable character design and acrobatic fight choreography. Speed Grapher creates an experience that is founded on great story and real-world trendsetter style, but is also laced with exactly the kind of cool tech and sci-fi elements that make anime so unique! This combination is geared specifically to attract fans outside of anime circles as well as satisfy the core anime audience.

Akira Kurosawa's "Samurai 7"

At long last, an anime retelling of the legendary Akira Kurosawa epic, Seven Samurai. Akira Kurosawa has inspired generations of filmmakers and Samurai 7 is the anime retelling of the legendary Kurosawa epic, Seven Samurai. Samurai 7 is set in a futuristic world that has just seen the end of a massive war. Many villages are being terrorized by Nobuseri bandits, but the Nobuseri are no normal bandits. They were once men, but during the war they modified themselves with machines to become living weapons and now appear as more machine than man. A group of villagers decide to hire samurai to protect their village. These men of valor are as skilled as they are unique.

About Navarre Corporation

Navarre Corporation (NASDAQ:NAVR) is a publisher and distributor of physical and digital home entertainment and multimedia products, including PC software, CD audio, DVD video, video games and accessories. Since its founding in 1983, the Company has established distribution relationships with customers across a wide spectrum of retail channels which includes mass merchants, discount, wholesale club, office and music superstores, military and e-tailers nationwide. The Company currently provides its products to over 19,000 retail and distribution center locations throughout the United States and Canada. Navarre has expanded its business to include the licensing and publishing of home entertainment and multimedia content, primarily through the acquisitions of Encore, BCI, and FUNimation. For more information, please visit the Company's web site at http://www.navarre.com/ .

About FUNimation Entertainment

FUNimation(R) Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation (NASDAQ:NAVR), is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation is known for acquiring top-rated anime series from Japan and for developing some of North America's most popular anime series. The company has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. The company's most recent initiative is the FUNimation Channel, which is a 24/7 digital channel programmed with top-rated anime series from Japan. The FUNimation Channel is now available to over 34 million households throughout the United States. For images, or more information on FUNimation or any of its properties, contact Jeff Dronen at 817-788-0627, ext. 251 or pr@funimation.com .

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: cschudi@navarre.com

Source: Navarre Corporation

CONTACT: Haug Scharnowski, Vice President Corporate Relations, of
Navarre Corporation, +1-763-535-8333, hscharnowski@navarre.com

Web site: http://www.navarre.com/
http://www.itunes.com/

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