Oct 22, 2021
Do take note that the writer changes after the first arc (maybe up until he goes up the first mountain). It turns from a typical sports shonen in the beginning to one of the darkest character studies out there. The work as a whole explores isolation and obsession as a remedy to loneliness and pain.
The work follows the withdrawn, climbing-obsessed recluse Mori Buntarou from high school to adulthood. Contrary to the tone of the beginning, he does not learn the power of friendship, he does not learn to rely on others, but rather the dark side of society continually bare their fangs at this
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pup that wants nothing to do with it, and reinforces that mountains are the only place for a man like him to belong, away from the lights and horrors of humanity. We soon learn that this is not an uncommon sentiment for climbers, and the oxygen-deprived, perilous environments lay bare the fears that every other climber is running from, including Buntarou himself.
Buntarou's inability to communicate really lets the mangaka's art shine as he imagines scenarios rather than communicates them (e.g. physically pausing a stressful situation with a remote control and penning down a lengthy apology, but in reality just running away and locking the door). As he dives deeper into obsession and goes into the oxygen-deprived regions of the mountains, the mangaka is given further chances to shine as the horrific and abstract demonstrations of his psyche are laid bare and beautiful for us to understand without a single word. The climax at chapter 169 flittering between reality and metaphor was one of the most satisfying I've ever seen in any media.
The mangaka employs a subtly brilliant storytelling technique where the story is rarely told in a linear manner, instead told in fragments of recollections while encountering obstacles on the mountain. For example, him taking refuge in a shelter amidst a snowstorm evokes a recollection of an uncomfortable encounter with a female coworker that shouts at him as he locks himself in his apartment. The juxtaposition between the ugliness of humanity and the unadulterated beauty of the mountains seems to further reinforce Mori's sense of belonging among the peaks.
Yet above this complex character study lies a simple story about climbing mountains. The landscapes are beautifully drawn and fraught with danger filling the readers with tension, not knowing which characters are going to die and when. As someone that has done a semi-technical climb in Nepal before, the story's careful consideration of techniques, terminology and just overall realism paints itself as a love letter to mountain climbing.
It is a chilling story with a happy ending. A beautifully told story of a recluse and his very gradual climb against the difficulties of life and society.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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