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 /

The Cloverfield Monster Finally Revealed?

Is this the Cloverfield monster? Well opinions on that are quite divided. Before writing this article I did some snooping around the net, and found about a million posts about this picture. Each person who chimed in had a very different, yet very strong opinion, on what exactly we are looking at. I have read through most of the babble and come up with the most likely, "facts" about the photo.

1. This is indeed the Cloverfield monster. Many sites are reporting this as fact, although there has been no official announcement either confirming or denying the photos authenticity. If this is the monster, then it is a case of "Godzilla 98" all over again. Many fans will remember when Zilla's secret new look was revealed before the movie premiered by over zealous toy store owners who put the action figures of the monster out before they were supposed to. I give this one about a 10% chance of being true.

2. This is a prototype for the monster design that was rejected. Many sites are reporting that it is an early design concept that got the boot. Also along with these posts are news that the design may make it into a video game that will be produced at a later date. Again there are no confirmations on any of that info. Maybe, I give this one a 15% chance.

3. This is a toy from the Cloverfield line of action figures, but its not the monster from the film. Okay, why would they make action figures for monsters not in the film? Sounds kinda weird, so its gotta be true. 90% chance.....okay 5%.

4. This photo has nothing to do with Cloverfield, and it is another of a long line of fakes that have surfaced since last July. Probably, even though the image does kinda look like what we see in the trailer, it probably isn't the real deal. Then again, the monster in the clip looks like it has a tail, so if it is, then the tail musta fallen off before this pick was taken. 75% chance here. I would say higher, but who the hell knows? Right!

Cloverfield Contest

Win a chance to party with the cast and film makers of Cloverfield. Click on the image below to enter the contest. Winners will party it up in New York City on January 17th!


Is a back story starting to take shape?

Through Paramount's viral marketing campaign, a few facts about the movies back story have come to light. First, many fans have pondered how the fictitious company called "Slusho" will figure into the film. Well, it was revealed this past week that "Slusho" is the company that the film's main character, Rob, works for. It seems that the party seen in the trailer is a going away party for him, because he is being transferred to the companies office in Japan.

Secondly, it would seem that the monster had been doing a little dirty work before he got to the Big Apple. Three fictitious foreign news reports have been posted showing the destruction of an oil rig in the Atlantic ocean. The monster's roar can clearly be heard, and after the rig sinks, pieces of debris are thrown out of the ocean. The Cloverfield monster sure likes to throw stuff. I know one thing from being a parent, our mysterious monster friend is going through the "terrible twos". Here is an example of one of the reports:



Thank God, there are only ten more days til this one comes out!

P.S. - Keep yours ears open for special "Free" sneak preview screeings of Cloverfield in your area on January 15th!

See also: 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 /

Can Cloverfield Promote Healing In A Post 911 America?

Is it possible that J.J. Abrams giant monster film, "Cloverfield", may be exactly what the American public needs to see after experiencing the horrors of 9/11? Could watching a giant monster smash buildings in New York City be good therapy? Anyone who has seen the latest trailers for the film can't help but make comparisons to the type of destruction they witnessed on that infamous September morning. Yet, millions of Americans are waiting in eager anticipation for the film to be released next month. Does all this seem crazy? Well, it might if the exact same thing didn't happen fifty-three years ago.

In 1954, Ishiro Honda unleashed the largest, and most destructive movie monster ever conceived of, Godzilla, into Japanese theaters. A mere nine years after the first two atomic bombs destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, movie goers were treated to the same kind of fiery destruction, this time, being dealt out by a fictitious creature instead of American war planes. The movie was a huge success. In fact if it wasn't for Akira Kurosawa's cinematic masterpiece, "The Seven Samurai", the film would have walked away with Japan's equivalent of the Oscar for "best picture".

The idea for Godzilla (aka Gojira) was spawned after producer Tomoyuki Tanaka was forced to cancel a planned Japan-Indonesia co-production called Eiko kage-ni (Behind the Glory). The story was inspired by a real-life nuclear accident in which a Japanese fishing boat ventured too close to an American nuclear test and was contaminated. After producer Tanaka saw the American monster film "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" (1953), he got the idea to center the film around a dinosaur-like monster which would wreck havoc on Japan.

Likewise, "Cloverfield" was inspired the events of 9/11 and .......well......Godzilla. On a trip to Japan, Abrams visited a toy shop with his son and marveled at Godzilla figures on the stores shelves. At this years Comic Con, Abrams explained it this way, “I want a monster movie, I've wanted one for so long. I was in Japan with my son and all he wanted to do is go to toy stores. And we saw all these Godzilla toys, and I thought, we need our own monster, and not King Kong, King Kong's adorable. I wanted something that was just insane and intense. "

Bryan Burk, a producer of Cloverfield, has also elaborated that 911 was on the mind of those working on the film,"This film started out as just that: a monster movie. Yet as production continued, it became more and more clear that Cloverfield was "a 9/11 movie that's not actually a 9/11 movie."

Whether a 9/11 movie or Godzilla clone, "Cloverfield" has become one of the most anticipated films of 2008. One can only speculate the effect the film will have on the American public, especially in New York. Maybe seeing a giant monster causing the destruction this time will help people cope with what they saw six years ago, just like it did in Japan in 1954. As for Abrams and his film crew, they can only hope that there mysterious monster film will strike the same chord with audiences that Godzilla has.

Is it good therapy? Is it harmless escapism? Will it be good cinema? Only time will tell.

See Also: Cloverfield - Exclusive Sneak Preview / Cloverfield Gets A PG-13 Rating/Photo On Ebay / The First Look At The Cloverfield Monster / New Cloverfield Trailer / Godzilla - King of the Monsters