Otaku Saver sits down with the creators of MFINDA, the ambitious Afro-anime uniting Africa and Japan in one of the most anticipated animation projects of the decade.
By Felipe from Otaku Saver
Otaku Saver had the honor of conducting an exclusive interview with the creative team behind MFINDA, one of the most ambitious and culturally significant animated projects currently in development.
Created by Patience Lekien and Christiano Terry, MFINDA is being developed in collaboration with some of the most respected names in the global animation industry — including Masao Maruyama (Metropolis, Paprika), GKIDS, JuVee Productions (founded by Viola Davis and Julius Tennon), and the Tokyo-based D’ART Shtajio, the first anime studio in Japan founded and run by foreigners.
This film is more than just an animated story — it is a cultural milestone, blending the visual language of Japanese animation with the ancestral spirituality and mythology of the Kongo Kingdom.
Project Introduction
Otaku Saver: How did the idea for Mfinda come about? What were the main inspirations for the film?
Patience Lekien (Creator):
The idea for MFINDA came from a marriage of two things. First, I was on a personal journey of rediscovering and relearning the culture of my ancestors. This journey was extremely profound and led me down a spiritual path. As a practice for processing my thoughts and emotions, I began to illustrate digital illustrations. This led to a short series called “Spirited to Africa”, inspired by one of my greatest artistic inspirations, Hayao Miyazaki. As I sat with the new art, the story naturally birthed itself and began to take form with character designs, plot development, and world building.
Christiano Terry (Co-Creator, Producer, Screenwriter):
When I discovered Patience’s work, I was blown away by the originality and authentic representation of Congolese folklore and spirituality in his work. While it is culturally specific it is also universal and I saw Patience already had a large following of people who appreciated his work. Once Patience decided to entrust myself and N LITE with his work, I began to collaborate with him on a story we felt would be timeless and resonate with people around the world. After the core story was complete, we brought on Oscar-winning producers GKIDS, Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions, and the legendary anime producer Masao Maruyama onto the project.
The Meaning Behind “MFINDA”
Otaku Saver: What does Mfinda represent to you as creators?
Patience Lekien:
MFINDA translates to “forest.” It is the heart of the story. It represents the ever-changing world around us that is rooted in and affected by culture and community. The Mfinda is what weaves our characters together and the many lessons they learn through their journey, about themselves, each other, and the world around them. The Mfinda represents our connection to our ancestors and the past, but also our connection to nature, and our part in it.
Christiano Terry:
For me, MFINDA, from an artistic perspective, represents a new era of storytelling for anime. We previously coined the term “afrime” or “afro-anime”, but now we see this as truly anime, no other specificity needed. We’ve built a cultural bridge between Africa and Japan and look forward to the limitless creative possibilities that can come from this union.
Team & Production
Otaku Saver: Mfinda features some big names in the industry. What was it like bringing this talented team together?
Christiano Terry:
The thing I get excited about most is collaborating with talented artists. When you get people in a room that have one goal — to create something spectacular — there is a certain energy that is palpable.
Of course there are challenges, Hollywood is not a place that welcomes you with open arms and there is a lot of gatekeeping. Also, there are differences between how Japan produces vs how the U.S. produces, so a lot of communication is needed. But we’ve managed to bring like-minded people together through storytelling, art, and a clear mission. I credit our success thus far with being willing to collaborate.
Otaku Saver: What sets Mfinda apart from other animated films from a production standpoint?
Christiano Terry:
MFINDA is truly an international co-production that is a merging of the Japanese traditional animation technique and a new approach to animation from our studio focused on culture and authenticity. There has never been a film like MFINDA, or a team assembled to tell this kind of story in anime. We hope to do a magnificent job and make audiences proud.
Story & Characters
Otaku Saver: Odi and Nasambi are deeply developed protagonists. What was the process of creating these characters like?
Patience Lekien:
Odi and Nasambi are uniquely linked. Nasambi came first in the early development of the story. She was meant to be the embodiment of African femininity from an ancient perspective. As the story developed and grew, Odi came into the picture and the story became about Odi’s journey to discover the ways of her ancestral past. Together, they truly embody African femininity, but also African youth and curiosity. The two characters were inspired by my mother and both show two sides of the same coin — Nasambi is resourceful and wise, and Odi is fearless and strong-willed.
Christiano Terry:
Taking Patience’s original character arcs and further developing them with our writing team that includes myself, Donald H. Hewitt (screenwriter who previously worked with Studio Ghibli on English language versions of Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Nausicaä), and Japanese screenwriter Mika Abe (Forest of Piano) has been a very in-depth process. Producer Masao Maruyama and our Co-Director, Arthell Isom, have also been essential to this process. Arthell founded the first foreign-led anime studio in Japan, called D’ART Shtajio. He has experience in making sure the communication between the Japanese and U.S. teams is smooth. Maruyama-sensei is a visionary when it comes to story and is pushing us to make this anime film a classic.
Otaku Saver: Kozo, the guardian of Mfinda, has a striking design and unique powers. How was he conceived?
Patience Lekien:
Kozo was inspired by ancient warriors from the Kingdom of Kongo, intermixed with the mythology of the dog in Kongo-lese spirituality. Kozo has the ability to transform into a dog, and traverse between the land of the living and the land of the ancestors. He is a protector in the Mfinda, tasked with divine responsibilities.
Otaku Saver: Is there any special meaning behind the characters’ names?
Patience Lekien:
Yes. Odi is named after my mother’s childhood nickname. Nasambi was derived from Nzambi, meaning “God”, representing her connection to the spiritual realm. Kozo is named after a unique Kongo spiritual object (nkisi) in the form of a double-headed dog. The object was called Kozo. The Elokos are creatures from Kongo-lese mythology that dwell in the Mfinda. Queen Simbi’s name comes from the mythological simbi, or Kongo-lese water spirits.
Visual Style & Influences
Otaku Saver: Mfinda’s design is strongly inspired by the culture of the Kingdom of Kongo. What was the research and visual development process like?
Patience Lekien:
I’ve been doing research on the Kingdom of Kongo for many years as a means of rediscovering my ancestry. The idea for Mfinda came from my cultural research. And so, the research was a seamless and important process in the visual development of the story.
Christiano Terry:
Similar to Patience, I’ve been seeking out knowledge to rediscover my ancestry and desire to understand the ancient past. I’m grateful to be learning so much about the Kingdom of Kongo through the process of making this film. MFINDA and other films from N LITE will be an exercise of discovering magical worlds of the past that we may have forgotten
Otaku Saver: What were the main artistic and cultural influences on the film’s visual style?
Christiano Terry:
Estamos desenvolvendo a identidade visual do estúdio, e Mfinda será uma das primeiras obras a mostrar isso. Obviamente, somos inspirados pelo Studio Ghibli e por grandes diretores de anime dos anos 80 e 90. O trabalho de Maruyama-sensei em Metropolis também nos inspira muito. A meta é equilibrar técnicas japonesas tradicionais — desenhadas e pintadas à mão — com elementos culturais e estéticos do Congo.
Culture, Representation & Connections with Brazil
Otaku Saver: Mfinda marks a new phase in animation by centering a story on African culture. How do you see the importance of this representation in media?
Christiano Terry:
I’m shocked, but not surprised that a film like MFINDA hasn’t been made. The beauty of filmmaking is the ability to tell untold and untapped stories. Why limit that? As artists, our job is to go where no one has gone before. Whether it is African culture, or any other culture, character, or medium. It just so happens the medium we chose is anime. Hopefully MFINDA will help other anime films like this get made.
Otaku Saver: Brazil has a strong African influence in its culture. How do you see this connection in relation to the Brazilian audience?
Patience Lekien:
During my research, I discovered that the majority of people stolen from Kongo and Ngola (modern day Congo and Angola) were sent to Brazil due to the shorter route between the coasts. I’ve heard stories of the amazing Zumbi Dos Palmares, who has inspired future stories. All of this to say, I believe the Brazilian audience will have a unique connection with the film and the story. I also think about the mirrors between Congo and Brazil, the Amazon and the Amazon River, the Congo forest and the Congo river, the “lungs of the earth”.
Expectations & Release
Otaku Saver: How is Mfinda’s distribution being planned? Is there a projected global release date?
Christiano Terry:
I cannot share too much information now, but I can say there will be a global release. MFINDA will be in theaters and a date will be announced soon.
Otaku Saver: Is there a possibility for Mfinda to become a franchise or expand its universe into other media?
Christiano Terry:
We have a manga in production and will announce later this year who our partners are for the distribution of the manga. For now, we are focused on making a fantastic film and will go from there.
Messages & Global Impact
Otaku Saver: What is the main message you want to convey with Mfinda?
Patience Lekien:
The main message I want to convey with Mfinda is that healing begins with ourselves, but it ends with the community. Mfinda is about coming together, healing together, looking back together, and moving forward together. It is a love letter to Congo. It is a love letter to African descendants. It is a love letter to the human race and all of our interconnected and overlapping beauty.
Otaku Saver: If you had to describe Mfinda in a single sentence, what would it be?
Patience Lekien:
“Mfinda is about coming together, healing together, looking back together, and moving forward together.”
Christiano Terry:
“An anime film you won’t forget.”
Viola Davis and JuVee Productions
Otaku Saver: Viola Davis is a widely recognized and respected actress in Hollywood, known for her powerful and emotional performances. What was the experience like working with her on Mfinda, and what impact did she have on the film’s production?
Christiano Terry:
This is an ongoing wonderful experience, we are very honored to be working with Viola Davis, her husband Julius Tennon and the team JuVee Productions. We will have more to share on this collaboration as we produce and release this film together.
Otaku Saver: How do you think her presence in the cast will help strengthen the film’s message and cultural impact?
Christiano Terry:
We have an exciting cast planned for the film, every individual involved will be of cultural impact and significance. You’ll have to wait and see.
Curiosity
An interesting curiosity is that, in addition to the strong presence of African culture in Brazil, Mfinda has also attracted a lot of attention for its similarity to Brazilian folklore and urban stories. Brazil, known for its cultural diversity, has fascinating stories about ghosts, mythical beings, and supernatural phenomena. Among these stories, the most famous is that of the Saci-pererê, a mischievous being who inhabits Brazilian forests.
Otaku Saver: We’d love to know if you’ve ever heard of or been curious about any Brazilian urban stories or aspects of our culture?
Christiano Terry:
I LOVE Brazil and have been drawn to the country and culture for a long time. I have some familial connections to Brazil and we plan on exploring what a Brazilian story could look like for N LITE. We appreciate your recommendation of the Saci-pererê!
Agradecimento
A equipe da Otaku Saver agradece imensamente a Patience Lekien, Christiano Terry e todo o time da N LITE pela oportunidade de realizar esta entrevista exclusiva.
Felipe da Otaku Saver
Thank you, Patience and Christiano, for this inspiring conversation. We look forward to the release of Mfinda and to seeing the impact this work will have around the world and in Brazil.
