U.S.-Japan anime studio N Lite has partnered with Japanese publishing giant Kodansha to produce a serialized manga, a Japanese style of comic book, based on its upcoming feature film “Mfinda,” with the debut set for Kodansha’s Biblio Sirius Magazine later this year.
The manga functions as a prequel to the “Mfinda” feature, expanding on the Congolese mythology and sacred forest of spirits and gods at the center of the story. Dual protagonists Nasambi and Odi guide readers through origin stories that feed into the wider screen narrative. A 13-year-old Congolese girl named Odi is transported to the Mfinda, a primordial forest of spirits, gods, and ancestors, where she joins Nasambi on a journey through a world caught in conflict between humans and the spirits of nature.
The manga is written by N Lite founder Christiano Terry and illustrated by studio art director Tom Lintern, in collaboration with Japanese storyboard artist Koma Warita. N Lite and Kodansha are jointly supervising the creative team across what is expected to be a multi-volume run.
The broader feature film brings together producer Masao Maruyama (“Tokyo Godfathers”) and director Gisaburo Sugii (“Touch”), with co-direction from D’ART Shtajio founder Arthell Isom. The film’s story was conceived by Terry and Congolese-American artist Patience Lekien, and the cast includes Jaden Smith in the role of Kozo. Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions are also attached as producers. The project was first announced at the Annecy film festival in 2023, with U.S. animation distributor GKIDS also joining.
The partnership is considered one of the first times a major Japanese publishing house has co-developed manga from an original IP conceived by a global studio specifically for its flagship local readership. The N Lite and Kodansha deal was brokered by anime consultancy Henshin, Inc.
The Biblio Sirius serialization is the opening phase of a global rollout intended to build audience reach ahead of the “Mfinda” feature’s production.