Kamigami no Itadaki
The Summit of the Gods

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What does it feel like to stand on top of a mountain? Why, nothing more than liberation! An insurmountable challenge, conquered by nothing more than humanity's finest!

Summit of the Gods is about mountaineering, but it's about the circumstances too. How can it not be? It's not like Nepal is willing to sponsor your trip to mount Everest!

Oh! Yeah, that's the part nobody wants to mention. It's a rich man's activity. The rich man would do it for the experience, just to see the glory and then gloat about it to your rich friends who had also scaled the walls 5 summers prior. They're just as ... gormless as you'd imagine.

Summit of the Gods is most comparable to Grand Blue. It shows the lifestyle required for the hobby, shows you sights you can only see at the top of mountains, and tells a riveting story around it!

One of the truths it explores is one of glory and its ephemeral nature. Because normies enjoy being normies (good thing), they don't have an eye for the craft (also good thing). For mountaineering in particular, its glory is upheld by the accomplishment. That is to say, people only care if you accomplished it or not. No more no less. With regards to mountain climbing lore, only the first person to accomplish the feat will have their name remembered.

Even among the hobbyists, there are those that stand out for their ungodly attributes. The crackheads that take the craft to demonic heights! Not for the craft, but always for themselves.

I'm often reminded of my own video game exploits, because there's a lot of gamers out there and a lot of them are pretty fucking dumb. Just like climbing mountains, achieving a high degree of success in… well anything would require a high sense of self. You'd need a sharp sense of ethics and philosophy to cut through all of the noise!

But even then my enthusiasm has to be stifled. I can't talk about my exploits without being overbearing. In that sense, I am exactly like Jouji Habu. I am alone. I have an unmatchable tenacity. Hardcore tasks are just warmups for me on this lovely Tuesday morning.

Despite my video game exploits being rather legendary, they are nothing more than campfire stories. Passing muses that only highlight how much more experienced I am over the casual. Why would the world care about my exploits and insight when the next v-tuber looks hotter than me anyways? Nobody cares about real passion…

And therein lies the beauty. It's the untold stories that only the passionate would know about. Only they could know how beautiful that crackhead really was. But finding information on legendary crackheads, even that is a legendary pursuit in of itself!

The people end up maintaining the spirit of the mountains by withholding its secrets. The sights that I saw at the top of my game were no different than those who conquered the summits. They were glorious, plain and simple.

In conclusion,

ROCK & STONE/10

Until next time.

I initially believed this manga was solely focused on the theme of mountain climbing, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it encompasses a much broader and captivating narrative.

Yumemakura's narrative is rich in depth and complexity, exploring a variety of themes ranging from personal growth and friendship to existential questions about the meaning of life. The characters are multifaceted and well-developed, and their journey is marked by challenges that are both physical and emotional in nature.

Jiro Taniguchi's artwork brings the towering peaks and treacherous landscapes to life, evoking a sense of awe and wonder.

My only criticism is that the pacing could potentially ... be perceived as slightly slow for some viewers.

Whether you're a fan of mountaineering or simply appreciate great storytelling, this epic tale of human endurance and the pursuit of greatness is not to be missed.

“Kamigami no Itadaki” is a story about two people — one guy’s obsession to climb mountains without reason and another guy’s obsession to chase the former and reason his obsession.

The story starts with Fukamachi a photographer currently in Kathmandu trying to document the attempt of a group from Japan to summit the tallest mountain on Earth from the south-west side, a feat that hasn’t been achieved so far. But fate had other plans and guides Fukamachi to come in contact with an antique piece of history that could lend the key to unravel an age old mystery in history of mountaineering, one that could send ... shock waves all over the world. It is in pursuit of this key that Fukamachi comes into contact with an enigma of Japanese mountaineering — Habu Joji. Who is Habu and how did he end up in Nepal is a mystery that we unravel together with Fukamachi and it is a tale that is filled with grit, courage, self-reflection and love.

Link for full review: shorturl.at/jI267