Kokou no Hito Vol. 1: Great Manga Book for Adolescent and Adults

by Curtis Dufour

Genres: Manga

Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2021

Reviews

[pareidolia]

I feel physically exhausted after finishing this.
What starts as a pretty typical sports manga develops into a psychological drama and intimate character study of an introverted, socially awkward young man and his obsession for climbing snowy mountains. Based on a novel about the historical mountain climber Katou Buntarou, but set in the present and diverging greatly from biographical facts, KOKOU NO HITO shows a man being caught between conflicting desires for solitude and human connections, his battles with loneliness and social expectations.

Mori Buntarou's social ineptitude is sometimes painfully relateable - although I don't share his problem saying "no" to people. And Mori's a veritable magnet for scumbags. Being exploited by basically everyone he meets only drives him further away from people, higher up the mountains. But nobody is an island and life without connections isn't sustainable.

KOKOU NO HITO is a masterclass in visual storytelling. Sakamoto contains his hyper-detailed drawings in rigid grids, alternating with luscious spreads, resulting in a very specific flow of cinematic quality, a method that shows its strength best when clicking through the pages in a digital format (although his drawings look better in print). The 2nd half is especially striking: Sakamoto forgoes dialogue for pages on end and somewhere along the line stops using SX completely, trusting his drawings alone to convey sound - a habit he has kept in later works.

Having now read several of his manga, I noticed that he's kinda hung up on manipulative femmes fatales seducing - and sometimes assaulting - hapless young men, corrupting their minds in the process. It's somewhat funny how often that happens in his stories, just like the increasingly more dramatic visual metaphors he chooses to use for this trope. While he tries to incorporate feminist topics into later works, I can't shake the feeling that he sees women as a completely different species, something quintessentially other from men.

[Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I thought it gave off the impression of a generic shonen sports manga but very quickly does it shift gears and turn into a darker, a deeper story. Mori as a character was one of a kind and his journey throughout these chapters have been nothing but exciting and inspiring. I think other than the somewhat unnecessary repetition of times-skips, I really enjoyed this manga and highly recommend it for those looking for an introspective story.

[Avery Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book “The Climber” the author Shinichi Sakamoto who started writing after volume 3 changed the story from a generic book to in my opinion a masterpiece about more than just the surface of climbing and relationships it goes deeper into his personality, and about the feeling of isolation, obsession as well as weighing morals which might be hard for a person to relate to but you can easily get his emotions and choices. While the book is definitely about the climbs its more about the emotional choice between taking a dangerous climb for obsession or staying with his family.

The book plays on tone using the side of being uncomfortable and lonely often leaving you in silence and you read the book because of the lack of words in some parts of the book this made the satisfying moments 10 times more, for example after the final stressing moments of a climb he finally talks at the peak pushing the story along and finishing that part of the climb solidifying his victory. Because of Sakamoto also being the artist which is the best art I’ve seen in a book, works perfectly with the story, because of this the author shows these huge monstrous mountains and a small and fragile person that tells you he’s out of place which completely helps the idea of being uncomfortable and alone one example of Sakamoto using art with the story is one page where Mori is splitting into two in a cold and isolated feel when choosing weather to climb or stay with his family. I love how the book connects the story and personality to the deep psychology and ideals.

One part i dislike greatly is at some point in the book he chooses the mountain over his family while there is repercussion it isn't as dramatic as it should be because his dedication surpasses his family. This makes me feel like the author didn’t have a specific idea in mind for this part and went with the easiest option. This book has to be one of my favorites even with a few problems because of the liberty the author/artist takes, from the creative direction and stunning visuals this book has it all.

[Adhitya Swaminathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one took time, but boy was it fun.

Having still not gotten rid of my mountain fever, I decided to follow up "Into Thin Air" with something different, something that had been on my list for a while. Well this Manda completely surprised me. It was nothing like what I expected. Instead of a sports manga, I ended up picking up a story much bigger than that, one filled with lessons of life and symbolism. The art was beautiful. The story was magical. The protagonist was easy to root for but also hard to understand. I could relate to him but also completely not. Filled with tragedy that made me literally shed a tear. The character turnaround was pretty amazing as well.

Not much else to say, it's a lot to take in, and a marathon to read, but I highly recommend it.

[James Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A manga about isolation vs human connections, passion vs obsession. The most fulfilling life is one that fosters relationships with others, not the obsessive pursuit of one’s goal.

The best example of this is Takemura, who towards the latter half of the manga is seen in a inhuman state where he would do anything from taking viagra to injecting drugs in order to achieve his goal of climbing k2. And in his final moments, he envies Buntarou’s life (a job, family) which signifies the deep regret he had of making the mountains his sole purpose in life. This reckless mentality led him to his fateful, isolated death.

[Camilo Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simplemente espectacular. El autor habla del manga cómo una forma de artes plásticas y lo demuestras increíblemente, tanto en su estilo de narrar la historia deshaciéndose de las onomatopeyas y reemplazándolas por por imágenes que construyen con ayuda del lector el sentir y la psique del personaje. De esta forma se acerca a la experiencia humana increíblemente solo con imágenes. No se puede dejar de mencionar lo especular de cada una de las viñetas del manga, sus detalles y expresividad. cada una puede llegar a ser enmarcada y colgada, para ser apreciada y deleitada.

[Emmanuel Sahagún · Rating 5 out of 5]

Venia esperando menos pero que gran sorpresa me lleve con The Climber. Se nota el cambio de autor a partir del tomo 4 porque toma una ruta muy diferente a lo que planteaba al principio... Y que bueno que fue asi.
Buntauro es un personaje que depende en que parte de tu vida estes te vas a relacionar y afortunadamente yo estoy en esa etapa. Es una historia excepcional, con un arte precioso y te tiene en una montaña rusa de emociones increible. Ojala yo tambien pueda encontrar mi ultima escalada.
Echale ganas, Mori.

[Santiago Ramírez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si te apasiona la montaña y las aventuras al aire libre, **The Climber** es un manga que tienes que leer. Pero este manga no es solo sobre escalada; es un viaje emocional lleno de desafíos internos, superación y paisajes que te dejan sin aliento. El arte es increíble, tan detallado que te deja sin palabras. Es inspirador, intenso y perfecto para quienes aman explorar tanto el mundo exterior como su propio interior.

[Marcello Novak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it’s cringe to say a manga changed your life but HEAR ME OUT.

Without spoilers, this manga is about a man discovering the purpose of balancing your passions with people. The art is soul rending, it reaches out to you, it’s gorgeous and an incredible media for its message.

If you’ve never read manga before, or feel like you don’t know where you’re going, read this.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the most beautiful artwork to ever grace manga is found in this book. While I love the art, the story can be a bit weird to get through at times, and it isn't easy to find a relation with the character. He's a very avant-garde and socially awkward person, which can make his character a bit frustrating from a reader's perspective.

[Sebastian Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Analogías como las de Monte Fuji y el velo de nieve, que es una bruja. Mori viendose a sí mismo como un extraño fuera de la montaña; la huida en caballo, el camino ascendente inconsciente. Todo eso decora una historia muy introspectiva que lucha por gestionar un deseo de soledad que se refuerza o se evanece por las vivencias del protagonista

[Alberto Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otro 10/10
A quién no le gusta una historia de obsesión y conflictos internos

[Samuel Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A profound journey. I would recommend this manga to anyone. The story here manages to be inspiring, sometimes traumatizing, and thrilling from beginning to end. The artwork is some of the best I have seen in all the manga I've read.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragged at times, but good story and several really dope panels. Afaik the climbing was all pretty authentic, weirdly a lot of real climbing brands are all over this...is product placement a thing in manga?

[Parth Saxena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book one of the best manga I have ever read the best art and amazing characters incredibly memorable.

[Fijaya Bimasakti · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biographical manga about the legendary climber, full of philosophy message. The story line is so realistic with life, like betrayal, life, death, sacrifices, etc.

[Jinxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant writing and Mori is so relatable character.😔

[Anupama Joshy · Rating 4 out of 5]

it’s scary that i can relate

[filipekkk_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece.

[Angeloide 97 · Rating 4 out of 5]

El primer manga que he leído, estuvo muy bien, pero difícil de entender y empatizar con el/los personajes.

[Muhammad Rafay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starts off kind of generic but when it flips the switch u can't stop reading also add in one of the most beautiful art in manga. Makes you wanna go climb k-2 alone

[bookish.norm · Rating 5 out of 5]

heart touching.

[Kyle Taino · Rating 5 out of 5]

finally finished it and it was a ride, im grateful the ending was good because if it wasnt i would have been so sad cause majority of this story was very sad

[Fernando Francia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué puedo decir mi manga favorito, cada capítulo me daba más ganas de leer el siguiente y el dibujo es impresionante.

[tefi · Rating 5 out of 5]

OBRA MAESTRA

[tasnim hossain kafi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It healed something in me.

[Guillermo Ramón Soria · Rating 3 out of 5]

no hacía falta subir el K2, solo ir a terapia crack

[Nuh · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just a manga about climbing…

[Kelvino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one butttttt lowkey the ending was BS. I feel like the whole time, the story was having him pick between climbing and relationships. In the end, when he chose to summit the mountain, he made his choice to sacrifice his life towards climbing. Symbolically, it was meant to show him sacrificing his family, caring more about the summit, but he somehow ends up surviving still. So he managed to summit the mountain and live on with his family. The only problem is that he's disabled now, ... but severed from extreme frostbite and lost like a few fingers. I mean, he can't climb much anymore, but what's the biggie? He's got his dream anyways. The whole point was for him to give up his obsession, but he only gave it up after he got what he wanted. Not a great ending.

[zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

song: lover, you should have come over by jeff buckley
bonus: need 2 by pinegrove