Kishin's Fate, Tagruato's Corruption, And A Monster Rises In "Cloverfield: Kishin"

More of the "Cloverfield" back story will be revealed in a Japanese manga drawn by Yoshiki Togawa. The online comic book is being produced as joint effort between J.J. Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, and the major Japanese publisher Kadokawa, who may be best known by American fans for publishing the comic book version of "Cowboy Beebop."

The first installment of the four part manga, entitled "Cloverfield: Kishin," went live on January 11th, however, the next chapter of the story won't be online until sometime in February. Although the first part of the story, doesn't reveal the monster, (his eyes can be seen underwater in the last panel), it does weave a connection between a young boy named Kinshin, The Tagruato Corporation, and the monster. One can only speculate that it is these events that lead to the destruction of the Chuai Station Oil Rig off the Coast of Connecticut, and the monster's eventual rampage in New York City.

Although, "Cloverfield: Kishin" is written entirely in Japanese, an English translation by Audrey Shiomi and Justin Clemons, was recently published by Comic Book Resources.

The comic opens with the phrase "What was the reason I was born?" The story begins with young Kinshin Aiba being beaten badly by a couple of bullies in a public restroom. Both attackers are very paranoid about the youth and don't want to be touched by him, fearing that they will become sick. A young girl tries to come to his rescue, but she is ignored by the bullies.

The story then moves to a Tagruato ship which seems to be towing something large behind it. One of the crew members is bragging to a shipmate about his pregnant wife, showing him her photo on his cell phone. The young man expresses his eagerness to finish the voyage so that he can return home to her.

When we return to Kinshin, he has been locked in some sort of closet. He pulls a out a picture of his mother, who we learn from a flashback, is now deceased. The mother was considered by many to be strange and different. She didn't seem to care how others felt about her, as long as Kinshin still believed in her. The memory causes the youth to begin to act out in anger. He begins to wish that he too, had perished along with his mother.

As Kinshin's emotional torment continues, something begins to rise from the deep. It seems that the Tagruato ship is towing a very large creature behind it under a tarp, and that creature has now come to life. Is it possible that there is some sort of connection between the monster and the tormented youth Kinshin Aiba?

The original manga can be found on Kadokawa web site - CLICK HERE

I think that it is important to point out that Kadokawa Pictures (Formally Daiei Motion Pictures) is the studio that produced the Gamera film series, along with Daimajin trilogy. Interesting that Abrams would choose Kadowkowa to produce this manga. Also interesting is the fact that Gamera was often portrayed as the protector of children, and in some films even had a psychic link to young individuals. Is the cloverfield monster Gamera? (My wife seems to think so.) Probably not, but it is another example of how Abrams was strongly influenced by Japanese kaiju films.

See Also: American News Coverage Of The Cloverfield Monsters First Attack / The Cloverfield Monster Finally Revealed? /Can Cloverfield Promote Healing In A Post 911 America? / Cloverfield - Exclusive Sneak Preview / Cloverfield Gets A PG-13 Rating/Photo On Ebay / The First Look At The Cloverfield Monster / New Cloverfield Trailer /