The feeling of fulfillment comes in many forms. For young Buntarou Mori, rock climbing quickly became a passion and a reason to enjoy life, as well as a fulfilling sensation. Who would have thought that the sport of rock climbing could make such a deep and interesting story?

Story: 9/10
Shinichi Sakamoto did an absolutely wonderful job of mixing sports with drama and a hint of some psychological and romantic aspects. It's a more serious manga, yet you're presented with story full of moments where you want to cry happily for the characters fulfilling their accomplishments, smile at the seemingly rare adorable scenes, and laugh at some of the more comedic characters. The best thing about the drama is that it's not just melodrama that you can find in any old shounen series. There's no antagonist out to destroy the world and make life hard for Buntarou. Nope, this is just a simple tale of a boy who came to find something to live for...but it's so much more than that.

Art: 10/10
As with other seinen manga, art is really crisp looking and not over-the-top. Buntarou isn't some big ol' macho guy full of testosterone, nor is he a girly looking dude with fabulous hair and a pretty face. He simply looks like an average man (okay, well maybe his hairdo is still kind of crazy, but this is a manga after all). The female characters aren't depicted as petite little things with D-cup boobs-- they accurately portray an average woman's body. Backgrounds and the like are wonderfully detailed yet still keep a realistic aspect.

Character: 9/10
It was kind of hard for me to rate this section, to be honest. The main character that I felt really was able to develop was Buntarou, but he's the only one. The supporting cast (Hajime, Masao, and Yumi) are all important but their characters never really undergo any huge developments. Then again, I can see why; after some certain events happen, they're not really necessary at all in the story anymore. Even though only Buntarou received development, I feel like Shinichi did what he felt was best for this manga considering the story DOES revolve almost solely around Buntarou.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I'm a sucker for seinen manga, although the idea of rock climbing as the main point of the story put me off a bit at first. I'm really glad I overlooked that and still decided to give it a try, because now Kokou no Hito places 2nd in my top 10 favorite manga. Everything about this manga is phenomenal, which is why I sat down and immersed myself in the story so easily. I struggle a lot with concentrating, and thus am wary of getting into series that have more than 20ish chapters, but I definitely don't regret my decision to get into this manga.

Overall: 9.5/10 (rounded up to 10/10)
Please give Kokou no Hito a try, regardless of what your tastes are. Whether you're a fan of rock climbing or not, I believe you can come to enjoy this manga for the drama/psychological aspects as well. If the genres don't make or break a series for you, it still has some of the best character development I've seen in awhile, and the art is pretty to look at if all else fails.