Anthem of the Heart, Miss Hokusai, DBZ, Boy & Beast, Love Live! Earn Japan Academy Prize Nods

Top award to be presented on March 4
The Japan Academy Prize Association for excellence in film announced the nominees for the 39th annual awards on Monday. The five movies that have been nominated for Animation of the Year are:

The Anthem of the Heart

Miss Hokusai

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'

The Boy and The Beast

Love Live! The School Idol Movie

The Nippon Academy-Sho Association, a Japanese group roughly comparable to America's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Oscars fame, presents the Japan Academy Prizes every year. The nominees all receive "Awards of Excellence," but the actual top award in each category will be presented in a ceremony on March 4 at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo.

Movies are eligible if they opened in Japan between December 14, 2014, and December 15, 2015.

The Animation of the Year category was only created nine years ago. Last year, Stand By Me Doraemon won the award. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Tekkonkinkreet, Ponyo, Summer Wars, The Secret World of Arrietty, From Up On Poppy Hill, Wolf Children, and The Wind Riseswere the previous winners. Before that, Studio Ghibli won the overall Picture of the Year Award forPrincess Mononoke and Spirited Away.