10 Manga With Amazing Artwork
2. Kokou No Hito
Starting in 2007, Shinichi Sakamoto’s Kokou no Hito follows the journey of Mori Buntarō, an adolescent with big dreams of mastering solo mountain climbing. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Jiro Nita and, in turn, partly inspired by the life of actual mountain climber Buntarō Katō, Kokou no Hito charts Buntarō’s lifelong immersion in mountain climbing. Setting the ascent of K2’s East Face as his primary goal
Over 170 chapters, Sakamoto sumptuously illustrates Buntarō’s maturing journey from introverted new high schooler to fearless king of the mountain.
Winning all manner of awards for its supremely detailed, often vertigo-inducing artwork, Kokou no Hito’s 5 year run marked various new heights in the power of manga artwork as its protagonist mastered grander and grander climbs.
The artwork completely captures the story’s blend of sport and slice of life drama, its heady themes of obsession and dedication and above all the heart and personalities of its complicated, often death defying lead character. With dark humour sprinkled in amongst the weight of Buntarō’s severe anthrophobia and the beauty of the mountains he scales, Kokuo no Hito is nothing short of a masterpiece.