Multimedia company N LITE is teaming up with Kodansha to co-develop a manga adaptation of its upcoming "afro-anime" film, MFINDA. The series, described as an "AFRIME," will begin its global rollout with a debut in Kodansha's Biblio Sirius Magazine in 2026.
This manga adaptation will serve as a prequel to the MFINDA film, delving into the origin stories of the dual protagonists, Nasambi and Odi. N LITE and Kodansha will jointly supervise the creative team for the manga. Previously, N LITE announced that the first volume of MFINDA: The Manga is slated for release in 2025, with the full series planned for three volumes. Christiano Terry, founder of N LITE, is writing the manga, with art direction by Patience Lekien, the creator of MFINDA, and illustrations by Tom Lintern. Production involves a Japanese manga planning and inking team from D'Art Shtajio and Sakura Phoenix K.K., with the manga set for release in both Japan and the U.S.
N LITE describes the story of MFINDA as following a young girl, Odi, who is transported to the past and joins another young girl, Nasambi. Together, they must venture into the MFINDA to confront evil spirits and reclaim the Nkisi to find a way home. The MFINDA film itself boasts a notable production team, including Viola Davis and Julius Tennon's JuVee Productions as partners. Masao Maruyama, known for his work on films like In This Corner of the World, is producing, with Gisaburō Sugii directing and Arthell Isom co-directing. U.S. animation producer and distributor GKIDS is also a coproduction partner.
N LITE, founded by Christiano Malik Terry, aims to bring Black and Indigenous stories to the forefront through collaborations with global creators. The company's "AFRIME" initiative focuses on hand-drawn 2D animation, with plans for future films and television series. N LITE Japan, co-led by Shin Koyamada and Shigeru Igari, is also working on projects based on existing anime and manga intellectual property. Source: Variety (Naman Ramachandran)
