A Nigerian animated short film rooted in West African mythology has travelled from a Lagos studio to one of Japan’s biggest anime houses. Trials of the Spear, an anime pilot created by CR Motion+, follows a rejected boy chosen to carry a powerful lightning spirit and confront supernatural threats.
The animation, available to watch on YouTube, has since led to a larger collaboration between CR Motion+ and Toei Animation, one of Japan’s longest-running major anime studios. Toei has produced anime for globally recognised franchises including Dragon Ball and One Piece.
The two companies are developing a 20-minute spin-off tentatively titled The Storyteller: The Dawn of Legend, which takes characters and mythology from Trials of the Spear into a new story set in present-day Lagos. The project marks Toei’s first co-production with an African animation studio.
Taido helped connect CR Motion+ with Japan’s animation industry. The programme is now widening that route from studios to individual artists through a free online course for 100 Africans. Participants will train in second key animation, where artists refine rough key drawings and prepare them for later stages of production. The strongest performers will be presented to Japanese studios for consideration.
Selected participants will work through five pre-recorded sessions between 6 November and 13 December 2026. Applicants must be aged 18 or older, have a digital illustration or animation portfolio, and access to equipment capable of running 2D animation software. Applications close on 1 November.
Taido is run by Arc & Beyond, a non-profit established by Sony Group and one of the organisations behind the new course.
“Second key animators must understand the intentions of the key animator, director and animation supervisor by carefully reading the drawings,” says Miyuki Kitabatake, a producer in Arc & Beyond’s Impact Creation Department. “People assume it’s entry-level work, but taking over someone else’s drawings without direct explanation takes a high level of skill. With demand for anime growing globally, Japanese studios are now broadening their search for talent in order to keep up, especially in roles like this.”
Before the Toei deal, CR Motion+ had taken part in a Taido development programme alongside Ghanaian studio Animax FYB Studios. Japanese animation professionals worked with both teams on original projects, leading to the Taido African Animation Awards in Tokyo in March 2026. There, the African studios connected with companies including Toei Animation, Bandai Namco Filmworks and TBS Holdings.
Toei later backed a Japanese-dubbed version of Trials of the Spear, and the relationship eventually developed into the Storyteller production agreement.
Four Japanese anime professionals designed the new course: Chiharu Akakura, Megumi Okawa, Yuki Yoshida and Rikako Nakano. Okawa also works as production manager on The Storyteller, creating a direct link between the training programme and the CR Motion+-Toei production.
Funding comes from the Government of Japan, with Arc & Beyond, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Cape Town animation studio Triggerfish involved in delivery. UNDP contributes through timbuktoo, its pan-African innovation initiative, while Triggerfish brings in Triggerfish Academy, its digital learning platform for African animation talent.
The route into Japanese productions is already visible in South Africa. Animator Malcolm Wope, who co-directed Mkhuzi: The Spirit Racer for Disney’s African science-fiction anthology Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, later worked as a key animator on Lazarus. The series was produced by MAPPA, the Japanese studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man.
* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.