Silver Award for “Best Drama Series Made in Asia for a Regional or International Market” at ContentAsia Awards 2025―International Co-Production Drama “HEART ATTACK”! “The New Key” also Nominated!

On Thursday, September 4, the award ceremony for the Asian international content festival, the ContentAsia Awards 2025, was held in Taipei.

“HEART ATTACK” won the Silver Award for “Best Drama Series Made in Asia for a Regional or International Market” category. This marks the very first international award for the drama, as well as first-ever win in this category for Fuji Television Network, Inc. (hereinafter ‘Fuji TV’).

The ContentAsia Awards were established in 2020 as part of the annual international TV market ContentAsia Summit, organized by the Asian-based video entertainment trade resource ContentAsia. The jury consists of industry professionals selected from across Asia’s entertainment sector. This year, more than 150 entries spanning television, streaming, film, and other diverse platforms from across the region were nominated.

Popular variety show of Fuji TV, “The New Key” was also a nominee for the “Best Variety Programme Made in Asia” category.

“HEART ATTACK” is a live-action sci-fi drama series that portrays a love story in a post-pandemic world, co-produced by Skybound Entertainment, the U.S.-based multiplatform entertainment company behind mega hits such as “The Walking Dead” and Fuji TV.

The TV Series is based on Skybound original graphic novel series “Heart Attack.” It garnered significant attention as an international co-production with Skybound, the company behind major franchises. All episodes began streaming on FOD in March 2025, where its innovative visual techniques and distinctive direction quickly became a hot topic. The drama was also broadcast on terrestrial television in April.

The drama is set in a post-pandemic Japan in which Variants are persecuted by the public because of their supernatural abilities and struggle against oppression and power. Umin (Kanichiro) is a Variant fighting for the cause, but also a double agent, working as a spy for the VCU.

And Emma (Toko Miura) posts videos on social media demanding freedom and social justice for her kind. Their encounter sets in motion a destiny that will change everything. The judges praised the series highly, noting not only its fusion of science fiction and human drama, but also its cross-border production framework, which demonstrated new possibilities in visual storytelling.

This summer, Fuji TV’s President and CEO, Kenji Shimizu, announced the “company’s shift toward becoming a content-driven enterprise.” To expand its reach in global markets and to promote the enhancement and development of its content distribution capabilities—through initiatives such as collaborations with external partners—the company carried out a large-scale organizational restructuring.

All eyes are now on how “HEART ATTACK” will spread its wings globally, and on Fuji TV’s content strategy moving forward.

■Takeshi Shimokawa, Content Business Department, Business Development, Fuji Television Network, Inc. comments: “This drama, co-produced by Skybound Entertainment, the U.S.-based multiplatform entertainment company behind mega hit franchises such as “The Walking Dead” and “Invincible” and Fuji TV, represents Fuji TV’s proactive and multidimensional approach to business design for the global market. Although there were many challenges to overcome during the production process, we are truly delighted by this award. Moving forward, Fuji TV will continue to focus not only on the domestic and international sales of its content, but also, on expanding distribution channels in the global market and developing collaborations with external partners to further broaden and enhance our content distribution.”