Kokou no Hito

Kokou no Hito is my all-time favorite manga. The tragedy of the story is so real and sympathetic that I almost wanted to stop reading, but the art, symbolism, and strength of the main character kept me reading on.

When I originally started reading Kokou no Hito, I thought it would be another high school based manga that developed slowly and would end shortly after the main character graduated, but I was proven completely wrong. This manga isn't about some fictional character who experiences and accomplishes various things in high school; it's about a human being who time after time runs into hardships and does his best to overcome them.

The art is amazing, and the author uses a lot of different imagery and symbolism to help us understand each characters personality and how they might be feeling at the moment. Later on in the manga, it becomes poetic and foreboding; it's hard to put into words the complicated emotions this manga makes me feel.

There are three things you should know before reading this:
#1: No matter how badly you want to stop reading the manga because of a sad event that happens, do not. This manga is worth reading till the end.
#2: This manga has some nudity and mature scenes.
#3: A great portion of the manga goes into developing the main character, but by the end you will feel extremely connected to him as if he were a close friend of yours in real life (well, maybe not, but that's how I felt).

I recommend you give Kokou no Hito a chance, even if you don't usually read mangas like this. I was skeptical at first, but grew to love it immensely.

Kokou no Hito is probably one of the most interesting manga I've read in a long time, in the sense that it completely defies any expectations you might have upon reading it for the first few volumes.

In the beginning, it seems like a decent but fairly standard shounen sports story; the main character is a lethargic loner who discovers an aptitude and passion for mountain climbing, he joins the school club, he has a rival, there's a cute sports club manager who seems interested in him, etc. There's nothing necessarily WRONG with it, and it's good enough to get you invested, but if that was all there was to Kokou no Hito, it'd be too milquetoast a story to get the critical acclaim it's received from its small cult following.

As it turns out, the manga goes completely off the rails around the end of volume 3/beginning of volume 4 and becomes a completely different type of story altogether. So far as I understand, this is essentially because Kokou no Hito was at first a collaboration, with Yoshiro Nabeda as writer and Shinichi Sakamoto as artist. Around that point of the story, Nabeda left the manga and Sakamoto had to finish the whole story by himself.

You might expect that the manga would crash and burn under these circumstances, since we usually expect that in these kinds of partnerships, the other party is out of his depth and will produce a directionless and frankly weak story. However, in this case, it's very clear that not only did Sakamoto rise up to the task beautifully, his ideas on where to take the story were far superior to anything Nabeda had written or could probably come up with.

Under his pen, Kokou no Hito came into its own and became much more like what you would expect a good seinen manga to be; the story became a far more lifelike and psychological character drama, showing the difficulties of Buntarou's choices and his struggle to become a "solo climber" in life as he is constantly beckoned by the outside world to come back again and again. This is a change that comes in VERY abruptly and feels about as unplanned as it probably was, but in a way, it ends up working out in the story's favor; it is ultimately a tale about life, and life is very unpredictable. A life lived in optimism and innocence and can change very abruptly. In fact, you could say that the manga grew up with its main character, which just makes the story more powerful.

Despite speaking very little, the main character has a surprising amount of charisma that makes you thoroughly invested in what's eventually going to become of him. Unlike a lot of manga where the main character is merely a bland template for the audience to project themselves onto, Mori is a fully realized character who carries the emotional weight of the manga on his shoulders; seeing him grow up, experience life, be tempted, fail, and change, is the heart of the manga.

The rest of the manga's cast isn't necessarily as compelling as Mori, but they pull their weight. The new characters created by Sakamoto are interesting, have their own goals and complexities, and bounce off Buntarou wonderfully, despite how little he speaks. The characters from the first few volumes who do show up again in the story feel so much more like real people than just the simple shounen archetypes they were beforehand, and Sakamoto takes them in completely unexpected directions that feel very genuine.

Of course, it must be mentioned how the art contributes a lot to all of this. In the beginning, the art showed promise, but was pretty rough in a lot of areas; some of the characters looked like they had parts of their skulls missing, the necks were overly long, and the proportions in general were just wonky and inconsistent. Around the same time as Sakamoto took over the manga, the art began to improve at a rapid pace; not only did the characters' designs become more consistent, the art became much more polished, realistic, detailed, and ambitious. It is honestly one of the most beautifully illustrated and aesthetically pleasing manga I've ever read, and it is amazing to see Sakamoto reach the heights of his artistic potential.

It also plays a very large role in Kokou no Hito's storyline, because of Sakamoto's decision to use visual metaphors to depict the characters' psychology and state of mind. Instead of merely telling us that Mori is conflicted, he chooses to draw Mori splitting in two and running in opposite directions, for example. All of these scenes are meticulously drawn and show a large amount of technical skill, which gives Kokou no Hito a distinct identity, increases the reader's engagement, and shows the incredibly strong artistic vision that the author obviously had.

As strong as Kokou no Hito is in many areas, I am remiss to give it a perfect score for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the way the narrative is eventually structured is interesting, but i'm not sure that it was the best way to go about it. Essentially the story becomes non-linear, in that it frequently skips ahead, shows us a little bit of the present, and then goes back again to fill in the blanks. It can leave one a little confused and wondering what exactly is going on when it first starts happening, but readers who are paying attention should be able to figure out what happens when and get the general gist of the story alright.

The more pressing issue is that towards the very end of the manga it feels like there's a bit too much skipped over; there's a specific period of the main character's life that really feels like it should have gotten a bit more time and attention than it did, since the changes that the main character goes through because of it are very big. while i still found the manga very compelling as this was happening, I couldn't help but feel that a bit more time to flesh out this particular period would have gone a long way towards making the manga even better.

Regardless, even with those problems, Kokou no Hito remains one of the most memorable and compelling manga I have ever read. Starting with volume 4 the manga has such an amazing vision, gripping character development, and gorgeous artwork that it's impossible not to be captivated. It is not a work that everyone will enjoy; it doesn't really pull any punches in its depiction of life, as life isn't always a basket of roses. It is in many ways, pretty depressing, and a dense story at that which requires more of a reader's attention than the average manga. But if you a want more challenging, experimental and adult coming-of-age story, you won't be disappointed. I would highly recommend reading it, even if you don't like sports manga, because this isn't your bargain-bin sports manga, it's a work that stands out and became something excellent.

|| Manga Review and Recommendation - Ultimate ||

Manga - Kokou No Hito.
Genres - Drama, Sports, Psychological, Seinen.
Authors - Sakamoto, Shinichi

From the title you can guess how much i liked this manga, i surfed through Myanimelist to find good seinen manga and i found this Golden Gem. The Manga takes the story to the deep philosophical and psychological world of Mori Buntarou, who is a Mountain Climber. Life is not easy and therefore for you to enjoy you need to climb the mountain to achieve your dream..a random quote i made. The life of mori Buntarou is explored in this manga from a high school student to the Professional Mountain Climber.

Synopsis - On his first day of transferring to a new high school, a loner named Mori Buntarou, is cajoled by a classmate into climbing the school building. Despite knowing that one misstep could send him spiraling to his death, he moves forward, and upon finally reaching the top, Mori experiences a sense of fulfillment. That feeling, which seems to be telling him, " You're alive!" gives birth to an adrenaline for rock-climbing.

Story(9.5/10) - The story is indeed a well adapted and is based on life of the real Buntarou. There is no hint of exaggeration and follows a realistic approach. The basic plot follows a realistic pattern of human life, following from his evolution from Introvert Dreamless boy to Strong Independent Man.

Art(9/10) - From the below pic you can guess, how deep and rich the artwork is and how much details are put forth in each panel.The style of Sakamoto has a very realistic approach and is very unique.

Characterization(8/10) - The Protagonist's personality has been shown perfectly and the hint of changes over time due to his ownself and his surrounding is depicted perfectly. There is a potential romance in the story which also has effect on

Overall(9.5/10) This is one Great Manga and it deserves much more. Sakamoto sensei is one of my fav. mangaka just after Akira toriyama and Takehiko Inoue. It is also in my top ten list and has made a comfortable place there.

"What's the point of climbing a mountain?"

Born with a supernatural gift for climbing, brooding loner Mori Buntarou, ascends the highest mountains in order to escape from the world below. For most of this manga there's nothing waiting for him below. He's a misanthropic misfit who has been hurt by anyone he's ever opened up to, so he prefers to do everything solo.

Moody loners protagonists are a staple of manga. Usually they are presented as mysterious badasses who make women swoon without having to utter anything more than a grunt.

Like Client Eastwood, they are cool.

I'm sure many young men have tried to emulate that sort of suave detachment in real life and (hopefully) learned that it makes them seem like awkward weirdos. Therefore, I usually find characters matching that description to be bland and unrealistic, but in this manga Muto's characterization subverted my expectations. He's weird, and turns people off. Regardless of how many mountains he conquers, he's a social outcast who can hardly do more than stand speechlessly when faced with another human being.

Instead of worrying about that, Muto obsesses over a single Herculean task "Climb the highest mountain", which he writes down and pins onto the wall of his austere single room apartment. There he lives like a monk, carrying a heavy ruck-sack full of water bottles to and from work because he doesn't have running water at home (or any other essentials). He cuts back on food for days, and bivouacs in the dead of winter because he has one thing in mind: to conquer the untrodden East-face of K2.

A major theme of isolation and the risk of opening oneself up to others persists throughout this series. I won't spoil it for you, but I'll mention that as soon as the once suicidal Muto finds acceptance and love, he finally finds what he was looking for on those mountains.

"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.

The saying ‘’A picture paints a thousand words’’ is truly exemplified by this manga. While the amount of dialogue in-series isn’t exactly low, the main character speaks rarely throughout the whole manga; yet that is its biggest feat. While manga, like anime, is a visual medium, most works don't utilize their visuals to full extent, only going as far as to present scenarios in a very bare-bones and basic manner. That's where Kokou no Hito shines, as it manages to tell the story solely through its astonishingly utilized visuals - be it the visualization of psychological struggle or metaphorical imagery that adds a symbolic layer to the scenarios that our protagonist faces.

I think it should first be mentioned that expecting a traditional sports manga when going into it is a mistake; the series is more akin to titles like Ping Pong, where the actual sport takes a backseat to the exploration of the cast. Yet Kokou no Hito is different in a way, since the whole manga focuses on Mori Buntarou’s mentality, and his alone. Our protagonist is shy by nature, and soon after transferring schools, he gets into mountain climbing - this is a rather traditional setup, but that’s not all there is to it.

Initially, Sakamoto Shinichi was responsible for the artwork whereas Yoshiro Nabeda was responsible for the writing - a fairly common constellation for serializations; but due to, at least to me, unknown circumstances, Yoshiro Nabeda left the project after volume 3, and Sakamoto Shinichi was now not only the illustrator, but the author as well. I believe this worked to the series’ benefit - the first two volumes were rather clichéd in their structure, but once Sakamoto Shinichi took over the writing, the series evolved; turning over from a traditional sports series to an atmospheric, introspective character study.

That’s where the visuals get important - while in most cases, characterization is done through dialogue and actions, Kokou no Hito does it through the art; since Mori fails to talk back to people due to his shyness, and is reluctant to talk in general, his personality and mindset are brought forward solely by metaphors. Instead of just blandly showing us his inability to reply, his thought process is visualized; to provide an example, in an instance where a character stubbornly demands Mori’s keys, Mori fails to deny the request and simply stands there, awestruck - yet what is actually shown to us is Mori pointing a remote at her trying to metaphorically “turn her off”, followed by him sitting on the floor writing possible replies on notes. This impressively conveys his struggle to find the right words and him wanting to escape the situation. And yet Mori, in reality, just stands there doing nothing. This was just one of numerous examples, and the series truly makes successful use of this technique. Kokou no Hito also utilizes its art to create a fitting atmosphere - be it landscape shots from the mountain-top to create a sense of irrelevance and scale or small moments like Mori breathing in fresh air and simply feeling alive. Although it is perfectly utilized, the atmosphere creates an issue within the series - since the writer changes, the tone of the series alternates rather abruptly; this causes the transition from volume 3 to 4 to be rather jarring, and can break the built up immersion in the previous volumes, although I personally am able to overlook that since once you get used to the new direction it takes, it becomes a way more captivating series.

The change in author also caused several subplots to be scrapped, and some characters that were planned to be relevant later on were treated very poorly by the plot; this feels especially odd considering the level of insight the series gives Mori and its thematic exploration, creating a stark contrast between the very well crafted and almost amateurishly written sides of the series. That does not mean the series goes downhill though, as it manages to create several compelling subplots and exciting twists - since this series is about mountain climbing, an inherently dangerous activity, there are bound to be fatalities, and the way the series portrays the cruel apathy of nature is truly chilling; people die on several occasions throughout the series, yet those deaths are not dramatized in the slightest, rather, they are presented to be natural events, which makes those moments even more haunting and depressing. This ties really well into the series’ theme of human irrelevance to nature, how small and meaningless we are in the grand scheme of things. The manga addresses this in an intriguing way, presenting the mountain and the act of climbing as both a strenuous and demanding, yet desirable and fulfilling thing; throughout his journey Mori faces many challenges and cruelties in the mountains, yet he never backs down, always chasing one peak after another - he doesn’t have any concrete reason, the only thing he knows is that it gives him a sense of liberty, being isolated from the humans he does not get along with.

The aforementioned ties profoundly into the series’ symbolism, most notably the meaning of the mountain and the rope. Whereas the mountain’s symbolic meaning is vague, the rope’s is pretty simple and straightforward - human connection. Once you link ropes with a climbing partner, your life lies in their hands and theirs in yours. If one falls, both die; severing the rope means severing your connection to another human, and that theme is poignantly presented in Kokou no Hito. The mountain’s meaning deserves more focus than I can give in this review.

A big criticism this series often receives is the underwhelming sidecast, especially in comparison to the phenomenally characterized protagonist; while this criticism isn’t necessarily wrong, I feel like it’s missing the point of Kokou no Hito - it’s an autobiographical work through and through, detailing the life journey of Mori Buntarou, so I do not see why a sidecast with more focus is necessary. I agree though that a few characters could have been handled with more care, especially Yumi and Miyamoto. What is often forgotten is that Kokou no Hito did have a few side characters that, while only having a short appearance in the series, were handled in an absolutely brilliant way, perfectly showcasing what the series can achieve in terms of atmosphere and thematic exploration.

Another aspect I want to address is the conclusion - Kokou no Hito has probably the most impressive final act I have witnessed in media; the narrative shifts completely, switching between the last climb and the memories and thoughts of our protagonist, giving it a very unchronological and confusing feel. Indeed, many people need a reread of the last two volumes to fully grasp what's presented, but this makes for one of the most absorbing and cathartic conclusions I have seen, being simultaneously inspirational and cathartic.

Yes, this series is flawed, but I truly believe that its positives more than overweigh its shortcomings; it’s insightful on a very personal level, detailing the life of a fully fleshed out and explored protagonist, while presenting themes that are relevant to all of us. Kokou no Hito is a journey, for the protagonist and the reader alike, and it’s a journey I would love to embark on time and time again. It fully absorbs you into the mountains, making your crave for fulfillment yourself, and that is the greatest feat a work of art can achieve.

Recommendations:
-Oyasumi Punpun for capturing the same emotional beats
-Neon Genesis Evangelion for an anime that is similarly structured in narrative and has a strikingly similar protagonist
-Ping Pong for another psychological/sports series that conveys similar thematics

Finding yourself in life and your place in the world are things that everyone are looking for. For young mori buntarou it is climbing-to be far away from all the bad things in our world, from all the other people.

story:9/10

The story in this manga is not just about mountain climbing. It's about your goal in life, your hardship in life. It offers sports, drama, romance, all in a very mature tone. It's not just climbing on mountains, it's so much more.

Characters:9/10

Although almost all of the characters doesn't get a really big development, they are there for mori to develop as both a character and as a climber.
Mori going through a lot and meeting all kinds of people, through them he is able to understand things about himself and about life.

Art:10/10

The art is simply amazing. It took some time for me to get used to the characters faces but the scenery, whether this is the mountain or the city or just a background of people is done very well. Shinichi draws beautifully.

Enjoyment:10/10

I love sports manga. And although, like many others, The idea of manga about climbing seemed weird, I gave a chance to it and loved every moment. The art, the main character who I could very understand him, the story itself... I found myself hours reading it and finish in one go.

Overall:
I hope more people will read this work. If you love sports and drama, you need to give this manga a chance.

Its a sort of coming of age story, that is to say, we watch as this young aimless boy becomes a man through the many trials and tribulations he faces, through the mountains he climbs and the people he meets. From the inception he is ostracized from those around him (largely by his own accord) who has no clear goals in life. As fate would have it, he is bullied into climbing, and in turn he develops a deep love for it. Death, betrayal, disloyalty and sacrifice follow Mori on his passage to adulthood and Kokou no Hito is able to present the harsh realities of life. Suffice it to say, this is far from a heartwarming story, at every turn in Mori Buntarou's life he meets adversity and every interaction with those around him acts as character defining moments which are often not for better but for worse.

This isn't simply a story about mountain climbing, which seems to be a common criticism. While largely prevalent, climbing acts as a means of escape for Mori. Atop these mountain peaks Mori is finally able to escape society and reality as each climb not only acts as a physical crucible, but a psychological one. All of which slowly, yet inevitably, leads to the maturation and growth of Mori who by the end of the series has taken a complete 180 out of his introvert shell. In the end Mori no longer climbs to escape reality because he has come to terms with it, because there is now something not on the peak, but on the ground waiting and calling for him.

At heart, Kokou no Hito is an intricate story that exhumes a very realistic setting. Despite being on the extreme side of this scale, there should not be a single point in this story where one could consider something unrealistic or unfeasible. The painstaking amount of detail the mangaka - Sakamoto Shinichi - puts into this story guarantees this. From mountain climbing to the characters on the ground, Kokou no Hito delivers a very realistic and detailed notion of the harsh realities of life. The romantic side of the narrative beautifully juxtaposes this harsh world. Instead of retreating to the top of mountains, relying on mountains for a brief reprieve, he is able to find a place on the ground to belong. The detail Sakamoto puts into Kokou no Hito can be seen in every chapter. Despite the story having jumps in its time frame, everything is explained meticulously. Mori is shown at work and his work-life is explained continuously, all of which is an attempt for Mori to save money to climb the mountains he loves. Not only this, but the detail in describing the many mountain climbing techniques and limitations gives even the ignorant reader - such as myself - a base of knowledge and understanding as to why and how everything happens. These are only small examples of the detail Sakamoto puts into the entire series.

Similarly, the art is truly majestic, which is very important in a series like this. The detail put into every aspect of the manga's art is a sight to behold. Whether it's the double page art spreads of the beautiful mountains or the characters themselves, every aspect of the art is detailed and unique offering a very easy way to immerse the reader in the story. The biggest aspect being the arts realism which compliments the fact that this is a realistic narrative. Characters are drawn perfectly, they are not ripped behemoths nor are they weak boys, they are drawn realistically and they are, for the most part average yet unique. No two characters look the same. Similarly, the climbing utensils and equipment all look realistic. Of course, the mountains and weather are no exception. Mountains are drawn to perfection with excruciating detail and the snowy biomes and weather are masterfully drawn. Kokou no Hito has some of the most beautiful and detailed art in any manga I have read.

As previously mentioned, this is a coming of age story and as such a very large emphasis in regards to characters resides with Mori Buntarou himself. He is a character with phenomenal depth, development and backstory. For the most part, this provides us with sense and reason to every action Mori makes. We understand why Mori is socially withdrawn, we learn why he wants to climb and we understand why he begins to open up as the narrative progresses. Many characters inevitably die, in either a literal or metaphorical sense. That is to say, while some characters simply die others die in the sense that what they believed in and what they aspired to do has died and they are no longer what they once were. Regardless of how characters die, it presents us with a very realistic approach. These deaths end up being tests of Mori's strength and resolve. By the end of the manga it is beautiful to see how far Mori developed, which is really what the series is about. While the main focus resides on Mori, other characters are developed for better and for worse. As mentioned, some of these characters meet a literal or metaphorical death. It's understandable how they can be criticized but regardless of how they develop, their outcomes and actions are equally realistic despite being on the darker side of realism. While they are used to develop Mori they are more than that, often reaching tragic outcomes these characters represent what happens in life without the resolve to do what they dreamed to do.

Ultimately, Kokou no Hito is not your typical sports manga. It is a dark story about growth and maturation. It is a story with its emotional ups and downs which are both juxtaposed beautifully. It is important to note that the manga does not glorify any actions or outcomes within the series, it illustrates a painfully realistic scenario where life is full of consequence and hardship. It is a story that shows while dreams can be achieved, a herculean resolve is often required and even still there is a price to pay. However, that isn't to say there's no light at the end of the tunnel. But above all else, it is a story that isn't simply about mountain climbing, knowledge and passion of climbing is not a requirement to appreciate this manga.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Outstanding manga.

Story itself is developed really well. It really drag each other elements like the manga itself themed mountain climber too.

The character... Yes, visible confusion, and self fighting. Within the mountain climbing, in the middle of it, you too not only relying on your mountain climbing ability but also having a conflict within yourself. I only want to say, it's really like finding yourself journey, by facing your inner conflict and then you can be a better version of yourself. The manga can give this feeling really well.

The art? Superb, so realist. The manga artist really done it job well, even though I don't know what is a mountain climbing equipment or mountain peak view, but the art in this manga makes the reader think "My, this is how it feel, to suffocate, to be hard at breathing at high altitude, etc etc".

Yes, if you like realist manga with a story close to realist (It used a real life reference, so I think it's close) and "I think I can go with one more chapter, oh wait, it's already morning" manga. This could be one for you.

Kokou no Hito is about Mori, a young, very angsty and lifeless man who initially transfers to a new high school. In 1-2 chapters Mori is goaded by a classmate into climbing up the school building and seemingly in a trance, he does so, almost killing himself in the process as he climbed up a small pipe 4 stories up. After being scolded heavily and slapped in the face by Onishii-sensei, he is encouraged to take up climbing and take part in a local contest, of which he initially refuses but ends up going through a series of events. Mori realizes rather unconciously, as he is a very dense youth (not stupid mind you), that he feels alive by climbing and takes it up almost religiously and out of nowhere, as if climbing was meant for him all along. This dude also makes some funny faces sometimes. Mori then decides to take up climbing not really professionally, but as if its the only thing that matters in the whole world. Moving on-

Alot of things happen in and out of climbing to these characters, as there is a cast of sorts. It's very realistic, there is zero nonsense in how they interact and how events transfold between them. "That makes no fucking sense" will never be said to describe anything here. In fact its so surprisngly serious in parts it may completely take you off guard, as if you just got in the face with some of the stuff. It's pacing is all over the place, which is PERFECT for this type of story, as life does not always go fast or slow. Good atmosphere, basically. Now you may be thinking that this kind of story is not entertaining, as you are not a supposedly overly pretentious reader who needs everything to be dramatic and realistic and etc. HOWEVER you would be surprised how entertaining someone climbing rocks is. It is. I say beforehand I enjoy every manga I review but I very much doubt others would disagree with me on this for the most part, but don't let my perceived minor uncerainty shake you just try it for yourself its bretty good.

So the characters are fantastic, the plot is a very human drama about life and death, moving on, things of that nature. It's hard to swallow, it very much is. That's another adjective that you can use to describe the entire manga, "heavy." Everything is heavy in this manga. Even the art style is heavy. Elaborating on that the art is very good

It's very difficult to make the review standout so I think most of the time at the end of these I will right a paragraph that is a thinly veiled "read it read it read it" statement. I loved reading this and if you are in the mood surely you will as well, I don't really believe that someone is only an "action reader" etc. rather you just have to be in the right mood for certain stories. This is one of the best manga I have ever read. I found it by clicking the random button at batoto lol

So I’ve finished Kokou no Hito (The Climber) a few days ago and I would like to give my review on it. This is a spoiler free review.

Story: The Story was compelling, gripping and captivating. It is about a student called Mori Buntarou who has a gift for rock climbing in order to be alone and escape from the world below, when he climbs he finds enjoyment and feels alive as he grows attached to these mountains and less from the outside world . Mori is a very different protagonist from most of the other protagonists who are talkative, reckless, witty, have friends etc. Mori is nothing like that and I appreciate the change Sakamoto went. The story is not just climbing mountains its so much more, focusing on the daily life of Mori and how he changes as a person to what he was from chapter 1 to what he was in the last chapters, similar to Ping Pong. Overall this story offers some comedy, drama and romance which is a nice touch. There is also a ton of imagery and symbolism used and covers many mature themes such as isolation, tragedy, growth, hardships etc. One criticism I have is the structure of the story, especially during the middle portion where it tends to jump forwards or backwards in time quite frequently as it can confusing at times but by the end it all ties up together.

Characters: This manga is heavily focused on the psychological development of the protagonist and the author did a great job of developing and changing him as a character. The side characters don’t receive as big of a development as Mori but they undergo a little bit which is fine as the manga is all about Mori Buntarou. One criticism I have with the characters is the author could’ve used more care with a couple of the side characters but the side characters are mostly all interesting, look very realistic, have their own distinct personalities and contribute to the story well.

Art: The artwork in this manga is amazing. From the double page spreads to the amazing background pages, hard to believe this was a weekly manga at one point as the art is very very detailed. In addition, it also stays consistently good so it suffers no inconsistencies or drawbacks. Kokou no Hito in my opinion has some of the most realistic looking people in manga which are on par with other mangas such as Vagabond. Volume covers look gorgeous as well. Not the best artwork in manga but its up there.

So Overall, if you want a dark, character driven and gripping story I would recommend this manga to you. I've immersed myself with the story, the main characters, the side characters, the artwork and it was a great read. Its a story filled with drama, isolation and death and it effectively portrays the hardships of life. Its not a Masterpiece by any means as it has a few notable flaws but its something you should definitely check out as it is an enjoyable read.

Characters:
The story revolves almost entirely around Mori with almost all other characters presenting themselves as challenges that he must struggle with and over come. Though Mori does meet some good people throughout his life with some genuinely touching scenes that really express how strong and weak Mori is.

Art:
The art in this series is quite simply, astonishingly good. The way the author draws everything from Mori’s exhausted and frostbitten face to the beautiful sight of the K2 mountain the art would only be comparable to series such as Berserk and Vagabond. The art also works very effectively with the symbolism in the series, quite effectively distinguishing reality from symbolic scenes or gestures in most cases.

Conclusion:
Kokou no Hito (The Climber) is by no means an easy read but it is an important one. The art is stunning and the story is gripping and although not flawless I would highly recommend this series.

Unfortunately the series is not currently available in physical format in english but there are several sources to read online.

Rating: 9/10

tl;dr: A manga that feels like it's being pulled around randomly and has a lot of rough edges but comes together pretty well despite that. 

Something that makes this manga interesting is that it feels like the author changes his mind about what he wants to do quite often, which at times completely changes the course of the story. This is most notable in that it started on a path, seeming like it was going to become a pretty standard high school sports manga, before all of that completely fell apart suddenly. After that there's a time skip and it seemed like it was going to become a more extreme sports manga, or something like a story about survival, but that too abruptly crashed and burned. After that it seems to enter its final path, wherein it becomes a lot more philosophical, taking a lot of what happened in the previous arcs and taking them to their conclusion in unexpected ways. Now while a lot of small things make it seem like this wasn't planned, ultimately it does come together surprisingly well. Furthermore, the parts where everything is falling apart are probably the best and most intense in the manga because they're so different from the way such stories usually go. Because the plot has major shifts, the only character to really remain a focus throughout the manga is Buntarou. He has quite an interesting character arc, where rather than being something like steady growth, rather it's more like two steps forward one step back, in terms of where he starts and where he ends up. It also has a take on being alone that's quite a bit different from most manga, wherein it doesn't seem to try to push the message that being a loner is bad at all for the most part. This messaging about being alone and person's place in society and meaning for existence do get considerably muddled in the final arc though. Other than Buntarou and some of the characters introduced in the last arc like Hana, it seemed to try to make all the characters eventually seem like awful people, which makes sense when pushing why Buntarou needed to be alone, but as someone that's pretty character oriented I still wasn't much of a fan of this approach. In terms of the action, it could be quite exhilarating at times, but at others it felt like it was dragging on. Part of this was that while the imagery used to convey broader, philosophical elements related to climbing was really good and the did add quite a bit most of the time, as it approached the end they began being used far too much, and actually got somewhat tiring. Furthermore, the ending felt incredibly rushed, wherein how it ends isn't completely bad, but how the last climb ends is rushed through far too quickly, and the epilogue to it feels like it doesn't have enough substance to it considering all the buildup. The art was decent enough, with some of the stranger shots being especially good. 

This is not a typical sports manga. There is no friendship, no team spirit, no working towards the same goal. It's more psychological than sports.

The goal of climbing is not to beat the opponent, it is to reach the top of a mountain. That is usually done in a team of two or more people, so you would expect some team dynamics at least, but that is not the case with Kokou no Hito. The protagonist Mori Buntarou climbs alone and over the span of the story you learn about his past and why he pushes everyone away and isolates himself.
It starts like any normal sports manga would. We have the amateur climber Mori who has great potential, we have the rival, we have the love interest, we even have a school climbing club. That all changes after a certain event that will show the real tone of the manga. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong. It tries to have so many harsh realities about life that it comes off as unrealistic sometimes, because they come out of nowhere and there is no explanation or foreshadowing for them. It tries to shock you and to make that effect stronger the author uses a lot of time skips. And I mean A LOT. Sometimes it is just a few days, but it can go up to years that just get skipped. It works a few times, but when you use time skips that often the characters suffer under it. It can seem annoying and can ruin the enjoyment of scenes, but there is a reason behind it. The time skips are the main reason the manga keeps you invested in it. When the story reaches a point where it seems boring or slow, the time skips hit hard and keep you on the tip of your toes wanting to read as fast as possible to know just what the hell happened in the time that was skipped. But time skips are not the only device used by the author. He uses a lot of transitions, metaphors, allusions and literal passages from poems and books. He tries to express extreme feelings of joy and euphoria in very weird and memorable ways and uses a lot of obscure art to back that up. The one that I liked the best was when the sun was rising over a mountain that was climbed by a character. To show just what he was feeling in that moment the author drew an orchestra that followed the sunrise with its performance. It was a new experience for me and really improved the manga.
http://imgur.com/a/qJ2js

But back to the characters. Because of the time skips characters change and characters that were introduced in previous chapters just disappear. The author tends to make his characters change completely in the blink of an eye. That is one of my biggest gripes with the story. It is unreasonable how the characters develop, because you are not there when they do. It is supposed to shock you, but you just cannot make a connection with the characters and thus do not care about their changes. The character that was developed the best is Mori, but even he suffers from that problem.

Well in conclusion I have to say Kokou no Hito is no ordinary manga. Its use of stilystic devices remind of a poem and really made the manga for me. If not for them I would have given it a 6-7/10, because of the sudden time skips and changes in characters, but as it is it deserves a 8/10. I highly recommend it if you are tired of usual sports manga and want something with more focus on the mind of the protagonist and with a more realism and mature themes.

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.