© PSYCHO-PASS COMMITTEE

Four Japanese Anime titles has been nominated in the Best 2D Animated Programme category of 2015 Asian Television Awards, alongside other nominations from three more countries.

The nominees include the sci-fi anime Psycho Pass 2, historical anime Nobunaga Concerto, mystery anime Terror in Resonance, and the adventure anime Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter.

They are nominated alongside Ella Bella Bingo of MediaCorp Singapore’s Okto channel, Monster Beach of Cartoon Network Asia and Get Ace of Network Ten Australia.

 

Psycho-Pass 2
サイコパス 2
© PSYCHO-PASS COMMITTEE
© PSYCHO-PASS COMMITTEE

This series is set in the year 2113, where the Sibyl System is actively measuring a person’s mental state, personality, and the probability that a person will commit crimes, all through a “cymatic scan” of the brain. The resulting assessment is called a Psycho-Pass.

When the probability of committing a crime – measured by the “Crime Coefficient” index – is too high in an individual, they are pursued and apprehended—with lethal force, if necessary. (Synopsis from Aniplus HD)

Psycho-Pass 2 is the second season of the popular sci-fi action anime series, which was directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani & written by Gen Urobuchi, and produced by renowned anime studio Production I.G. It was aired on Fuji Television’s noitaminA block in Japan from October to December 2014, which has 11 episodes.

The Japanese voice cast were lead by Kana Hanazawa (“Chiaki Kurihara”, Bodacious Space Pirates) as Inspector Akane Tsunemori.

The anime title was also aired on Aniplus HD in the Southeast Asian region on a simulcast basis last year.

 

Terror In Resonance
残響のテロル
© TERROR IN RESONANCE Committee
© TERROR IN RESONANCE Committee

In an alternate version of the present, Tokyo has been decimated by a shocking terrorist attack, and the only hint to the identity of the culprit is a bizarre video uploaded to the internet. The police, baffled by this cryptic clue, are powerless to stop the paranoia spreading across the population.

While the world searches for a criminal mastermind to blame for this tragedy, two mysterious children – children who shouldn’t even exist – masterfully carry out their heinous plan. Cursed to walk through this world with the names Nine and Twelve, the two combine to form “Sphinx,” a clandestine entity determine to wake the people from their slumber – and pull the trigger on this world. (Synopsis from Aniplus HD)

Terror in Resonance, is a psychological-thriller anime produced by anime studio MAPPA, which was aired in July 2014 on Fuji Television’s noitaminA block in Japan and has a total of 11 episodes.

The team of director Shinichiro Watanabe, music composer Yoko Kanno & animator Kazuto Nakazawa, who worked on titles like Cowboy Bebop, Space Dandy and Kids on the Slope, are a part of the anime’s production team.

The show’s casts were lead by Atsumi Tanezaki (“Asako Natsume”, My Little Monster) as Lisa Mishima, Kaito Ishikawa (“Mitsuo Yanasigawa”, Golden Time) as Shin “Nine” Kokonoe, and Souma Saito (“Tadashi Yamaguchi”, Haikyuu!!) as Fuyuji “Twelve” Kumi.

The anime title was also aired on Aniplus HD in the Southeast Asian region on a simulcast basis last year.

 

Nobunaga Concerto
信長協奏曲
© Ayumi Ishii ・ Shogakukan / Fuji Television
© Ayumi Ishii ・ Shogakukan / Fuji Television

Due to some unlikely events, Saburou is flung back in time to the Sengoku Era. In the past, he meets a young, but sickly Oda Nobunaga, one of Japan’s greatest warlords. Unable to shake Saburou’s uncanny resemblance to himself, Nobunaga asks Saburou to take his place as warlord. Equipped with knowledge from the modern era, will Saburou be able to unite Japan? (Synopsis from MyAnimeList.net)

Nobunaga Concerto is an anime adaptation of a manga series by Ayumi Ishii, which is currently being serialized by Shogakukan’s Monthly Shonen Sunday magazine since June 2009, and currently has 12 volumes.

The anime adaptation was directed by Yusuke Fujikawa and screenplay by Natsuko Takahashi, which was aired on Fuji Television’s noitaminA block from July to September 2014 and has a total of 10 episodes.

The Japanese voice case were lead by Yuuki Kaji (“Walker Yumasaki”, Durarara!!) as Oda Nobunaga, Mamoru Miyano (“Setsuna F. Seiei”, Mobile Suit Gundam 00) as Saburo, and Yuichi Nakamura (“Gray Fullbuster”, Fairy Tail) as Kinoshita Tokichiro.

 

Ronja the Robber’s Daughter
山賊の娘ローニャ
©NHK・NEP・Dwango, licensed by Saltkråkan AB, The Astrid Lindgren Company
©NHK・NEP・Dwango, licensed by Saltkråkan AB, The Astrid Lindgren Company

Ronja is the only daughter of Mattis, a bandit leader who lives in a castle in the middle of a large forest. When Ronja grows old enough, she ventures into the forest to interact the strange and magical creatures that live there. She learns to live in the forest through her own strength, with the occasional rescue from her parents. Ronja’s life begins to change, however, when she happens upon a boy her own age named Birk. (Synopsis from Anime News Network)

Ronja the Robber’s Daughter, also known as Sanzoku no Musume Ronya, is an anime series based on the 1981 book  Ronia the Robber’s Daughter (Ronja Rövardotter) written by Astrid Lindgren.

Goro Miyazaki, son of the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, directed the anime series, while Hiroyuki Kawasaki handled the scriptwriting, which was animated by Polygon Pictures and produced by Studio Ghibli, which was their first foray into television anime series. The series ran on NHK BS Premium from October 2014 until March this year, and has a total of 26 episodes.

The Japanese voice cast are lead by Haruka Shiraishi (“Kirie Motoba”, Himouto! Umaru-chan) as the title character Ronja.

 

The Asian Television Awards is an annual event organized by Television Asia Plus magazine and it is the region’s “most significant and celebrated event, recognizing excellence in programming, production and performance”. The awards was launched in 1996 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

The awards comprise over 30 categories in different fields, which attracts 1,200 entries every year from different broadcasters and production houses in Asia.

The Awards Gala will be held on December 2 and 3, 2015 at Suntec Convention and Exhibition Center in Singapore.