Kokou no Hito
The Climber

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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

(THIS REVIEW COINTAINS SPOILERS)

I am gonna start with the positive cause I have a lot of bad to say, but I don't wanna paint the impression this manga is bad so:
The art is incredible, and undoubtedly the highlight of this manga. Sakamoto’s portrayal of climbing and mountain landscapes is breathtaking, capturing the raw, grueling essence of the sport. The visuals immerse you, making the physical and emotional challenges of the characters tangible. In that aspect, The Climber shines, offering a truly visceral experience of what it feels like to climb mountains.

Unfortunately, the writing doesn’t match the quality of the art. While the story centers on ... Mori Buntarou, it fails to develop the supporting events and characters adequately. Much of Mori's journey is presented as reactions to events that lack sufficient justification or background. This weak foundation creates a false impression of depth and mastery, but on closer inspection, the writing falters.

The most glaring issue is the treatment of the supporting characters, for example I am gonna take Yumi and Miyamoto:

Yumi, initially presented as a good kid with a normal personality (gambling aside haha), Yumi’s downfall feels absurd and unjustified. After losing her reputation due to speculative rumors, she becomes a prostitute. This turn is baffling. Why couldn’t she move elsewhere or rebuild her life rather than resorting to such an extreme decision? Her character shows no prior traits or inner struggles that would hint at such a trajectory. She doesn’t fight for her reputation or try other means to pay bills, which makes her transformation feel contrived and overly dramatic. And is not only prostitution is what she does to Mori.

Miyamoto’s arc is similarly frustrating. He starts as a somewhat overconfident, goal-driven climber—a “popular kid” archetype with a clear passion for climbing. Then, out of nowhere, he devolves into a self-destructive bum who wastes his money on partying, cheats in climbing, and abandons his aspirations. This dramatic shift feels hollow and unjustified. There’s no convincing reason provided for why he would spiral so far out of control. His downfall seems more like a convenient plot device to highlight Mori rather than a natural progression of his character. You can try to justify it with he was feeling inferior to Mori, or he felt he wasn't so talented idk, but I don't take this justifications as valid, cause he wasn't talentless, he was man who structured his entire life around the sport - skipping classes to train, working jobs to fund his passion, and diligently saving money - inexplicably transforms into someone who not only abandons his lifelong goal but actively deceives others in climbing-related matters.

These abrupt changes undermine the believability of the characters and feel like they were written to serve Mori’s story but fail to than stand on their own. The pattern of weakly justified events isn’t limited to Yumi and Miyamoto. Many situations occur without sufficient setup or payoff, giving the story a hollow feel. For example:

Mizuki: Introduced as though she would play an important role, Mizuki ultimately does nothing of significance and disappears, only to reappear like 100 chapters later with no real impact.
Ninomiya: Despite a grand introduction, this character contributes almost nothing to the story.
Kobeni and others, I could go on but I think i have made my point.

Some might argue that the shift in writers (with Sakamoto taking over after the climbing tournament) is to blame for these inconsistencies. However, as the final writer, Sakamoto bears responsibility for connecting the dots and justifying the events already set in motion. Instead, he fails to integrate these threads cohesively, leaving many parts of the story feeling poorly written. It's not to blame the other writer, cause also writing problems happen with situations the other autor didn't influence at all (As i previously said Ninomiya, Kobeni, etc).

Despite the flaws in writing, The Climber is an enjoyable manga. The art alone elevates it, and some of the moments, especially those that focus on the physical and emotional struggles of climbing, are genuinely powerful. These moments allow you to feel the raw difficulty of the sport, and they’re executed with stunning detail.
However, I feel the praise for The Climber as a masterpiece is overstated. Its inclusion among the top-tier mangas feels misplaced given its significant narrative shortcomings. While it’s a good manga, the weak character development and poorly justified plot points prevent it from reaching the level of greatness many attribute to it. And thats why I have mixed feelings, it's an enjoyable manga but I felt dissapointed, and I feel many others will feel too.

Yeah, it's sad. I found it to be really boring, i didn't managed to like one single character, i find all the choices the main character does stupid... it would be a 3/10 for me if it wasn't for the maestry of technical things Sakamoto - the mangaka, which i've read Innocent before, other of his works - did on Kokou no Hito. It is so beautiful, it has so many experimental things like characters getting crazy in the middle of the cold and their speech getting inverted in the speech balloons, the scene where Mori sees the dawn and there's an orchestra going on ... and the symbolism is really cool, the artwork is fantastic, that one chapter where he recommends us to read it while listening to Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" its pretty cool too. His paneling work is amazing too. So for technical reasons i gave it a 7/10 on MyAnimeList, thought it would only be fair even if i didn't like the story or had any fun.

I think Sakamoto could do a big hit doing a collab with someone that can write better than him, and maybe a more lighthearted story. I mean, in the whole Kokou no Hito there's only one scene i've cracked a smile that is when Mori, our main character, gets out of the hospital and a little girl drops a flower and he gives back to her. This was literally the only scene where i felt empathy for Mori because he only do the worst possible decisions, it is astonishing even.

I'm well aware the work wasn't obligated to make me have fun, i watched Parasite (the korean movie that was the first foreigner movie to get Best Movie Of The Year by the Oscar Academy) and didn't have any fun, the atmosphere was heavy, it wasn't a movie made for you to have fun, and i get this. I think Kokou no Hit was probably made with the same intent. The problem is that in Parasite i could understand the characters, whereas the choices Mori did were simply forced so the story could end on a bad note because it is a seinen so it must end in a heavy way. Also Parasite was a movie, Kokou no Hito was a whole 100+ chapter manga. Mori does so many mistakes and simply doesn't learn with them. Also every single side character was forgettable and stereotypical seinen characters that do something bad and that's it, some even might try to redeem themselves but i really didn't liked it.

Sakamoto is probably one of the greatest mangakas we have as right now, he is amazing drawing, but a very uncompelling writer in my humble opinion. I hope he finds his way with a good writer someday.

That's just my opinion, i respect you if you think Kokou no Hito it's a 10/10 and think it is a masterpiece. It just didn't clicked with me and i don't recommend it to anyone besides those who want to see Sakamoto's amazing technical prowess at being a mangaka.