"You are alive!"
That's the feeling it's all about.

I picked this manga by pure coincidence. When I read the first chapter I was like: "Climbing? Gimme a break! Boring..."
This is also the reason why I decided to write this review. You don't have to like mountains to like this manga. Moreover, after reading it, chapter by chapter, you start to understand this passion (climbing) a little.

Story:
Kokou no Hito (The Climber) is an uncommon manga about Buntarou Mori, a high school transfer student, who discovers his passion for climbing mountains.
(Sounds odd, doesn't it? I thought so too, but I gave it a try and it sure was worth it.)
On first day in his new school, Mori is being cajoled by his classmate into climbing the school building. In one moment, while reaching the top, our hero experiences a completly new feeling - he feels that he is alive.
I dont want to write spoilers so saying anything more just wouldn't work.

Art:
The whole art was really good in my sense, especially the backgrounds. There are some great dynamic action panels and also a bunch of nature-exposing pages. I really liked the way that artist showed emotions and expressions too, they were really vivid.

Characters:
I will make myself clear. There aren't many characters in Kokou no Hito. In fact, they aren't really great too. The ones, whose are worth mentioning are the main protagonist and maybe some of people that appear in the late chapters.
Therefore I will say something only about Butarou Mori.
The main hero is an antisocial and gloomy type of person. He prefers doing all things alone, including climbing. At first you may not like him, but while reading on, you become used to his character and start seeing his reasons.

Enjoyment:
I couldn't stop myself of reading. In consequence, I read all 52 chapters in one day. Saying that, what more can I say about my enjoyment? It was really good and I'm sad it is still incomplete.

Overall:
On the whole, Kokou no Hito was like a fresh breeze in the sea of other mangas I read. It was something completly different from what I have seen so far. If you want to read something new too, I advise you to try this one.