In the beginning it seems like a typical oblivious and carefree yet highly gifted character angering a hardworking flawed rival. The first chapters WILL seem like the typical - hey I'm so lonely, oh I've found something in life, oh ive angered someone but we're still friends and will help each other grow, enter an ambiguous love interest, club activities where we have fun and grow close together! type story. You know, the type of shounen where all of the other people keep ragging on how gifted and talented and amazing the main character is and the main character is just oblivious about the praise and wants to do his own thing...

But it turns into something much more.

Without giving too much away, keep reading until the time lapse. The story turns from a "I will get better" shounen story to something that becomes much deeper. It becomes a rich story that explores aspects of the human condition.

The protagonist is constantly mentioned as being odd or strange by the other characters, but he is the most relatable to us out of all of them - perhaps revealing a little bit of him in us in the process. He's someone who's had much pain in his life, someone who is innocently good but is constantly thrusted into situations where it is easy to blame him. He didn't ask for someone to commit suicide in front of him - but he is blamed because he could not stop him. He didn't ask for his rival to go nuts because of jealousy - but he is blamed because he elicits these responses in others. He had good intentions in saving the girl, and did something incredibly noble - yet the newspaper journal blows it out of proportion very maliciously and everyone, including the girl, ends up blaming him - the girl blaming him for who she has become. In all these instances we see someone so fragile but well meaning, due to no fault of his own, cause a series of events that turn him into a target of blame. For this reason he is pushed away from society constantly, and as he lacks the social intelligence to understand the situation, he believes their words and further alienates himself.

This alienation allows him to push himself over a passion - climbing - that reminds you of something more like an obsession. He focuses mainly in relying on himself and wanting to be alone in nature, something free of life's complications. However, ironically, this obsession over this solitary pursuit forces him to interact with a team to be able to climb the daunting K2.

During this climb he steps outside of his box and becomes more assertive, telling his friend to abort the mission to be safe, even if it would jeopardize their expedition. He is not given a typical response, but instead is treated surprisingly harshly and is forced to bear a punishment.

However, when you view the situation later you begin to realize that the climb leader is a bit psychotic - he doesn't care about his team, he only cares about climbing. This reveals another ironic situation because the protagonist, someone who you were led to believe should be callous towards his fellow humans due to his sole passion for climbing, is the one that made the judgment call to keep his friend safe despite risking the opportunity to eventually climb K2, his dream. In all circumstances his actions would be noble. Yet due to the situation created by others, he is ostracized.

One must wonder if climbing is a meanless distraction from life's responsibilities, or something that is truly worth doing for him. I guess we'll find out.

... Last updated on November 27th, 2010, 8:54pm

This series has one of the best depictions of an introvert (albeit an extreme case, most aren't That extreme. Some are though) that I have yet read. I guess it will be hard for extroverts to relate to the main character, but that is really how many of us introverts are like:
- To outsiders, introverts seem quiet and aloof, but in fact their mind is constantly filled with thoughts: past, future, possibilities and imagination all mix together and distract from the present. For those of you who are confused by the images that pop up while Mori is climbing, those are actually depictions of his inner thoughts and conflicts as he challenges the mountains. For extreme introverts, such images can be just as vivid and tangible as the present outside world.
- Interactions with others drain their batteries like no tomorrow. Social interaction is a source of great anxiety. They don't know how to respond to them, they don't know how to deal with outside demands. Mori's interactions with that creepy girl and his teammates are all depicted in ways I can empathize with.
- Despite being afraid of social interactions, introverts do seek intimacy, not the shallow, "scary" interactions with total strangers, but someone "safe" who understands them and will support them no matter what, and be a part of their small, inner universe. Introverts value such bonds dearly, though may often have trouble expressing their feelings.
All this and more was portrayed in this manga, in a way I feel is much more realistic and relatable (to other introverts at least) than well... most series.

Ultimately this series is not just about mountain climbing. The mountains become Mori's means of escaping the people and reality underneath, but they invariably catch up to him, and his climbs become a battleground of both nature and inner thoughts. Yet they force him to confront aspects of himself that ultimately leads him to slowly mature as an individual. He starts caring more about safety. He learns to speak up for himself. He learns responsibility. And ultimately, he learns that he doesn't want to be alone after all. With that, step by step, he gets a job then gets a family.

Ultimately you could argue that he didn't grow that much, but you'd be forgetting where he was coming from. Mori is still heading for the mountains, but now he has something just as important waiting for him at the ground. (there are differences with the real person that the character was inspired from, but this was never meant to be an autobiography anyway)

Some people have complained about the way the side characters are used, by the way. I didn't have any problem with it. Real life isn't like a Shounen manga, where characters magically show up and become lifetime rivals and where nature cuts everybody slack. Mori's friend in high school, for example, was in the end just a trouble-maker with big dreams, but lacked the courage to pursue his dreams, and became one of many drop-outs out there.

... Last updated on September 1st, 2013, 1:13am

I just finished reading all the scanlated chapters, and WOW, there's so much to talk about that I don't know where to begin. Kokou no Hito is a manga that's definitely in a league of it's own. The art is breathtaking and the storyline intense, as it focuses not only on the physical difficulties that Mori encounters when he climbs, but also the psychological horrors.

I did have my doubts at first, as the story does start off as a seemingly typical shonen sports manga, but was pleasantly surprised by the maturity and depth that soon developed. And then when it began to progress into more darker themes and Mori began to sink into his loner depression, I thought that it might end up as one of those stories where the protagonist goes mental and psychotic and the manga ends up as one big overwhelming mess of insanity. However, it did eventually take a turn for the better when it settled down and established a lighter tone in the story.

All I can really say, I guess, is that this manga is truly one of a kind. Even though I found myself horrified and disturbed by a lot of what happens in the middle of the story and really just wanted to put the manga down, I was simply unable to stop myself from reading. I got hooked and couldn't let go.

I think the best part of the manga is that the mangaka does a great job in making this much more then a typical sports manga, by accurately portraying the consequences of what happens when humans are pushed into life-and-death situations (where your survival is literally dependent on your teammates' deaths) as well as the insanity that can also happen as a result. I would definitely recommend this to people that enjoy realistic, action-packed, and intense stories.

... Last updated on November 14th, 2011, 3:47pm

Kokou no Hito currently is my #1 favorite and a clean 10/10. It exceeds most other Seinen in depth of storytelling and characters by far and combines it with brilliant arts which make it also enjoyable to look at and re-read.

It contains so much symbolism and complex storytelling in different time lines as well of insertion of symbols/dreams/imaginations at a time, and yet remains neatly arranged and not too difficult to follow each line of action. The protagonist's character developement is good and doesn't follow the typical flat patterns of allmost all Shonen and many Seinen, yet remains perfectly comprehensible while keeping the reader constantly thinking.
The story is dark and dramatic, and yet giving glimmers of light at the right times. I love how it never turns too far to one side - it's neither becoming absolutely depressive nor a put-on good mood everything will be fine-lollypop story (ok, actually it's keeping really far away from that side).

Climbing is used so well as a mirror of psyche and humanity, and yet remains awesome for itself, too, especially due to the brilliant arts and detailled drawings of mountains, weather and characters with their clothing and tools. It also seemed absolutely convincing to me in the authors' deep knowledge of climbing and mountaineering.

I really enjoyed this one. I'm not a climber, but a solo long distance backpacker, so it was awesome to see appearances from Platy, Golite, Snickers and other familiar pieces of gear. Mori well embodies the love for nature and lust for isolation that form the core of my sport.

Personal bias aside, the art is gorgeous and the story is well-structured. The only genuine gripes I have with this manga are: 1) How everything is too easy for the MC in the first few volumes, and 2) Most of the characters being stereotypical (this improves later on)/exaggerated in personality and morality. You have a group of 'good guys', who are kind, honest and understanding, and then a group of 'bad guys', who are liars, bullies and thieves. About 80% of the cast is bad guys and they exist almost solely to make life difficult for the good guys. Naturally, they also cheat when climbing mountains.

How attractive would this story be to the average reader? Since it's so up my alley, I have no idea. But as others have said, I recommend reading at least up until the MC leaves school, since the story and characterization improve at that point.

Kokou no Hito is a great manga. Its hard to say more because there is so much to it.
The art is incredible, discounting what are obviously pasted photos most likely due to time constraints, there is so much force and expression to the art that it can take your breath away.
The spectacle is wonderful. Avalanches have so much weight to them that its a surprise that they can be held back on paper or a computer screen. The weather feels real and its depictions make you feel as though you are inside it. And the characters have dynamic motion and expression throughout. Sequences such as the manga's climactic climb are just amazing to experience and can leave you speechless for a long time afterward.
And the personality of the work is strong. It doesn't feel like some writer apeing other works for content or anything even close to the sort. Its deeply original. One can see where Sakamoto took over from the previous writer and the novel it was working from and spun the work in his own direction very clearly, and the gains from that are great.

But its not always a good manga. The change in writers is very apparent and can lead to certain jumps and shifts that are disorientating and result in a headshake to get over. The first few volumes are rather generic and hold the rest of the manga back in certain ways.
Sakamoto is nothing if not a cynic and characters can be brutal (in a non-violent way) and can live brutal lives with little feeling of earning it.
The main character's anti-social traits can become grating at times and feel over done as well. But this is a rarity and usually works to serve a greater purpose.

Still, I'd 100% recommend reading this manga. Its an experience over all else.
And when you are done and finishing the last page, you might just have to look around and realize that, yes, you are still at home or on the bus or in the library, and no, you are not in fact standing the mountains.
But maybe you should be.

... Last updated on December 12th, 2020, 5:55pm

This one really left a deep impression on me. I find myself thinking about it sometimes even now, when I've finished this quite some time ago. I'd put it on hold after the first volume cause I found it to be a bit too Shounen and the mc was difficult to relate to (and I'm an introvert myself).

All that changed after the story left the school setting behind. The author does an incredible job at depicting the mc's state of mind, the imagery he used sometimes even reminded me of myself. While the manga is of course about mountain climbing, it's even more about the mc's growth and the challenges someone, who's bad at expressing himself, has to overcome.

It really may be difficult for some people to relate to the mc, but don't give up after the first volume. It gets a lot better.

Make things short --- believe all good reviews here. This is too good to bother with bad reviews (if there are some).

Don't get a second thought and read this, now.

I love this manga. Not many sports/outdoorsman manga can capture the surreal beauty of nature on black and white comics. The mangaka's drawings are very capturing and allows you to feel what each character is going through. Although it's art is great, many parts of the story are unrealistic. The main things that get me is the characters. I don't understand the main character's old high school friends turned out the way they did. There is no way someone changes that much for no reason. They definitely had many options to choose. I think the author just wanted to exaggerate the trait of the main character where he says "I make everything worse, where ever I go and thats why I should be alone". To me, thats the only thing that I won't accept.

I only started recently but have been reading it constantly, and its amazing but horrible at the same time. The main character is really good and I like the way it started with his school and then the whole manga changes and gets alot darker. It's so strong and really sad, but in a way that just makes me speechless really. EDIT: I actually stopped reading this for a while cause it just made me really sad and I would keep on thinking about it, so I don't try to read it one go now, just take it slowly.

... Last updated on October 3rd, 2011, 1:47pm