, also known as ''Terror in Tokyo'', is a Japanese

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series produced by

MAPPA is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Nakano, Tokyo (formerly in Suginami, Tokyo). Founded in 2011 by Madhouse co-founder and producer Masao Maruyama, it has produced anime works including '' Terror in Resonance'', '' Yuri!!! on I ...

. The anime was created and directed by

Shinichirō Watanabe is a Japanese anime television and film director, best known for directing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful anime series ''Cowboy Bebop'', '' Samurai Champloo'', '' Space Dandy'', '' Terror in Resonance'', and '' Carole & T ...

, with character designs by Kazuto Nakazawa and music by

Yoko Kanno is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer of soundtracks for anime series, Video game, video games, Japanese television drama, television dramas and movies. She has written scores for ''Cowboy Bebop'', ''Terror in Resonance'', ''Gho ...

. It was broadcast for eleven episodes on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

's Noitamina programming block from July to September 2014.

Plot

In an alternative iteration of the present, two teenage boys who go by the names Nine and Twelve steal a prototype atomic bomb in an apparent

terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...

. Calling themselves , they upload a video onto the Internet and threaten to destroy

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

unless a cryptic riddle can be solved. They are two of the survivors of a secret experiment by the Rising Peace Academy to develop orphaned children with

savant syndrome Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodevel ...

into human weapons. They befriend Lisa, a lonely high school girl, who becomes caught up in their plans to expose the nefarious activities of the organization.

Characters

Main characters

; / : :A secretive young man with a bright mind and calm demeanor who moves to Tokyo and attends high school alongside Twelve under the name "Arata Kokonoe". He is one of the masterminds behind Sphinx. He and Twelve are survivors of a secret experiment by the Rising Peace Academy to develop 26 highly intelligent orphaned children into human weapons. ; / : :An apparently childish young man who is the second member of Sphinx. He is kind and caring, and befriends the lonely schoolgirl, Lisa. He uses the civilian identity of "Tōji Hisami" and is skilled at operating vehicles like motorbikes and snowmobiles. Twelve has

synesthesia Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with sy ...

; that allows him to see sound as color. ; : :A high school girl with a problematic life both at home and school. She is befriended by Nine and Twelve who save her from bullies at her school and she becomes caught up in their plans. ; : :A detective of the

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department The , known locally as simply the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), is the prefectural police of Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Founded in 1874, the TMPD is the largest police force in Japan by number of officers, with a staff of more than 4 ...

who used to be an ace of the police force's investigations division, but was demoted to its records division after continuing an unauthorized investigation. He is highly intelligent and is called back into the force to investigate the terrorist group Sphinx. ; : :She is the third survivor of the Rising Peace Academy experiment, highly competitive and has a love-hate relationship with Nine because of his talent. She becomes an American

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

operative who travels to Japan as part of her duties with

NEST A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold Egg (biology), eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of ...

to lend support to the terrorist attack investigations. Her obsession with Nine exposes her willingness to endanger, or even kill, innocent people to get close to Nine and Twelve.

Supporting characters

; : :The chief of the

station, who heads the investigation into Nine and Twelve's bomb threats. ; : :A passionate, young police officer who collaborates with Shibazaki even after he is suspended. ; : ; : ; : :Shibazaki's co-worker from the records division who helps him solve Sphinx's riddles. ; : :The head of Shibazaki's team and later the chief. ; : :A scientist working to identify the bombing techniques used by Sphinx. ; : ; : ;Clarence : :Five's partner and an

agent. ; : :Lisa's mother, who is highly paranoid and extremely possessive of Lisa due to her husband leaving the family home. ; : :Shibazaki's daughter who is studying particles. ;Mamiya : :The creator of the Athena Project.

Release

The anime was created and directed by

, with character designs by Kazuto Nakazawa and music by

. The anime began airing on

's Noitamina block on July 10, 2014, and its final episode aired on September 25, 2014. In total, it was made up of 11 episodes.

Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...

acquired North American streaming rights and released an English dub on DVD on January 19, 2016. Anime Limited and

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, stylized as MADMAN, is an Australian film and television production, distribution, entertainment, and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising ...

acquired streaming rights for the UK and Australia, respectively. Funimation premiered the series at

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...

on July 5, 2014.

Episodes

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the series was composed by

and released before the anime aired on July 9, 2014, by

Aniplex Aniplex, Inc. (株式会社アニプレックス, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Anipurekkusu'') is a Japanese entertainment company and a subsidiary of Sony, Sony Group Corporation, founded in September 1995 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The company fo ...

. The opening theme song is "Trigger", composed by Kanno and performed by Yuuki Ozaki from

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...

. The ending theme song is , composed by Kanno and performed by

Aimer is a J-pop, Japanese pop singer and lyricist signed to Sacra Music and managed by Agehasprings. Her stage name comes from the French verb 'to love'. Aimer uses the name aimerrhythm for lyrics credits. Debuting in 2011, she has released seven ...

. A later soundtrack titled "Terror in Resonance Original Soundtrack 2 -crystalized-" was released after the series ended on October 22, 2014. In addition to the new tracks, it contained the opening and ending songs. The artwork for the soundtrack was designed by Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir from

Seabear Seabear is an Icelandic seven-piece indie-folk band from Reykjavík. Although hailing from Iceland, they sing primarily in English. They are signed to the Morr Music record label. History Formation Seabear started as a one-man project of Sin Fa ...

. In an interview with Otaku USA magazine, director Shinichirō Watanabe stated that the music of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

ic post-rock band

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...

was the inspiration for the show and its soundtrack.

Reception

Critical response

Nick Creamer of ''

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

'' gave the anime series an "A", and described it as "the direction is basically flawless, and the semi-realistic art design keeps the show grounded while also offering consistent moments of larger-than-life beauty. Overall, ''Terror in Resonance'' is just short of a masterpiece. When it comes to ideas and execution, the show is absolutely bulletproof, a gorgeous and cutting meditation on the contradictory complexities of modern society. Its characters rage at a system that no one truly wants, caught up in cycles the show frames as tragically inevitable. In the context of its well-earned cynicism, its few moments of honest human connection feel all the more precious, brought home by expert framing and brilliant use of music. A rich and passionate meditation on modern society that is elevated by some of the finest music and visuals in anime".

Accolades

''Terror in Resonance'' was awarded "Anime of the Year", "Best Original Anime of the Year" and "Mystery or Psychological Anime of the Year" at the 1st Anime Trending Awards in 2014. The series has won the French award "Daruma d'or anime" at the Japan Expo Awards 2016. It was part of the Jury Selections at the 18th Japan Media Arts Festival in the Animation category in 2014.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2014 Japanese television series endings Alternate history anime and manga Anime and manga about death games Anime with original screenplays Aniplex franchises Censored television series Experimental medical treatments in fiction Fiction about government Fiction about orphans Fiction about theft Fiction set in 2014 Funimation MAPPA Martyrdom in fiction Noitamina Propaganda in fiction Psychological thriller anime and manga Television censorship in China Television series about nuclear war and weapons Television shows about death games Television shows about suicide Television shows about terrorism Television shows set in abandoned buildings and structures Television shows set in laboratories Works banned in China World War II television series