Kanata kara

So after finishing this manga ngl I got a little misty eyed. Yes its cheesy and fluffy and shojo, but I think especially during these times, shojo is whats needed. Hell, I think the overall message of Kanata Kara is very important and relevant to 2020; how everyone is connected and even small acts of kindness has a ripple effect. The way the villain is defeated could be considered disappointing for some, but I think it suited the series perfectly. It’s exactly how Noriko and Izark would act. It’s a perfect example of how an ending should suit the world you’ve crafted and you shouldn’t be pressured to take the standard path with storytelling if it doesnt suit your characters. Idk I thought it was neat.

Noriko:
It featured a really cute protag. I enjoyed her, even if I somewhat wanted her to learn how to fight she still contributed and was pivotal during the final fight. Noriko adapted to her situation and that’s something to commend, considering she’s thrust into another world like your usual isekai fantasy. It was refreshing that she didn’t know the language and I LOVED the fashion in the different world.

Izark:
Izark starts out as your typical cold male lead but DAYME this boy has so many emotions. It’s so friggin rewarding seeing him slowly learn how to trust and open up to Noriko but you can see his kindness shining through even in the first chapter. I love that he smiles and laughs more later on due to spending time with her. Like have you ever seen a warrior sink to his knees under the weight of how much he loves a girl? Peak romance, we stan.

This isn’t even getting into the side characters and like there are so many memorable ones! They all contribute to the story. Like even the mayor from the first volume has a little backstory to let you understand where he’s coming from and how he acts. Each character is given just enough to flesh them out despite the simple adventure story structure. It makes the world feel very lived in.

Just overall dayme I wish this had an anime, but even with 25 episodes I’m not sure they could cram in everything. It’s a really sweet old manga that I hope more people check out, its been such a cute read for me during lockdown.

Considering the fact historical shoujo with a strong female lead is my addiction, I am unbelievably surprised I haven't stumbled across this sooner. And I am so very glad I eventually did.

Kanata kara, or 'From Far Away' is one I couldn't put down. The story follows Izark, the tragic lead with a stormy past and even stormier future, and how him colliding with Noriko, our enthusiastic and overly cheery heroine, changes the course of his world. It's also a fantastic love letter to the idea of fate and destiny, and how they are affected by the smallest of decisions.

There is a lot that struck me about From Far Away, not least that the love that develops between Izark and Noriko is pure, and without (for the most part) any tropes you would perhaps expect to see in a shoujo. There isn't any tragic love triangles, and the few love interests that do crop up (mainly for Noriko) Noriko deals with quickly and maturely in a way that allows the story to progress without causing unnecessary 'misunderstood' drama. For being a fantastical and supernatural story that involves dragons and horses that look like insects (my one complaint with the art!), it is very real. The supporting characters are fleshed out and driven by their own character motivations that aren't spared for the two main characters stories. And the supporting characters don't come to violent ends or tragic blows for the sake of advancing the main plot. It is wildly refreshing.

I struggle often with the idea or plot device that a woman is a man's redemption (or vice versa). The Byronic hero - a man moody, mysterious and often ruthless - being redeemed from terrible things due to the love of a woman, is a plot I honestly detest for the most part. I would gladly talk at length as to my reasons for why, but that's not what this review is about. At first, I worried that this would perhaps be one of those stories. But what is great is that whilst Noriko's love for Izark plays a part in putting him on to a path towards the light, it is Izark's own growth and self awareness that allows him to step that way. His growth is not ignored, rushed or fabricated in order to further the heroine's plotline, and I loved From Far Away for that.

Speaking of the heroine's plotline, what really struck me was that Noriko was 'strong' in not the classic sense of the word (a la Crazy Shin Bia) by being fiery or overly powerful, but that she was incredibly self sufficient and self motivated. She did not allow herself to wallow, or become a constant damsel in distress incapable of doing anything without Izark. She was simply an 'ordinary' girl, but From Far Away tells us that even the most ordinary can violently change the world around them. And that 'ordinary' person can also receive love, both from friends and lovers, that is capable of incredible things. It's a very powerful message that From Far Away drills into you, and I love it.


And I hope, if nothing else, that young readers take away the fact you don't have to be some incredibly powerful or strong person to not only make a difference, but also be worthy of love.

I must say I am a huge fan of this wonderful manga and amazed at how under rated it is. At first I had feared that the main character, Noriko would be another one of those stupid, weak, useless female characters, however I gladly admit I was mistaken. She was very strong willed and central to the story. The story it's self is a very good one, with an exciting journey and a wonderful plot. It has romance without being all gushy about it and a nice dose of action. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this manga and plan to reread it in the near future.

Story:
Kanata Kara was an interesting read with a few twists that makes it one of the better "teenager transported to another world stories." There is a constant feel of dread and after every two pages of happiness and two cracked eggs and milk, the readers are in for two arcs of trouble. The Murphy Law is fully in effect here, and nothing stays perfect for long. What's a story without (constant) mishaps? Well, it isn't Kanata Kara without it that's for sure.

The ending was really lackluster, but I enjoyed the journey and finished the series in two days, so I think it was decent fun, not delirious but decent. Halfway Spoiler: There aren't any weddings and there aren't any babies, so if that's what you like don't get invested in fourteen volumes.

Characters:
Noriko is really bland. She is not very expressive with only three to four facial expression but that might be because of the art style. I liked that she took up the effort to pick up the language because I have always admired bilingual characters or characters forced to learn a language. In volume nine she finally showed some spunk in her character and took the initiative to do something dangerous. I think that is truly her only shining moment since every single scene in this entire manga is her wanting Izark, her crying, and her having a fish-out-of-water expression. I understand the situations present were very horrific for her but if that blank 80-90's anime face doesn't get you, her ghibli studio tears will. This chick could have replenished any drought, and most definitely has SCS (Shoujo Crying Syndrome).

Izark was my favorite character though not many others got developed in this series. I enjoyed Izark's development of his character and powers. He had a lot angsty brooding moments and kept pushing Noriko away too often. He reminded me of a gentleman white knight character, who got dealt a bad hand, which was being the spawn (descendant?) of satan. His devil heritage gives him Superman-like powers and Wolverine's quick healing ability, but he constantly has inner turmoil about using these devil powers, so he prefers swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. A good point with KK is Izark, arguably the strongest character alive isn't a gary-stu, and I think him being at war with his powers kept his character anchored, made me feel honest sympathy for him, and gave him room to evolved, which he did. However, I just couldn't stand watching him push Noriko away constantly though when that stopped I couldn't find any other qualms with him. Also, it's so cute how he cried at the end when he got frustrated. Him learning to get in touch with his emotions was a major stepping stone for him too.

Gaya would have been the stereotypical ugly woman in any other manga, scratch that any other media, but in Kanata Kara is treated like an actual character. Gasp! She is a great warrior, mother figure, and shrewd business woman. I actually liked her! Since she never shunned Izark, who had been rejected and shunned way too many times, I instantly took a liking to her and it never left.

Rabamadan was almost like a one-note character. He was there when the plot needed to move along, but not in much else. I thank him immensely for being the catalyst to knock some sense into Izark. So yay for love rivals, who you already know are going to lose from their first appearance!

Barago and Doros are two ugly guys that were more than their looks. Garabog, a once bloodthirsty gambling warrior, finds purpose after encountering Noriko and Izark, and Doros finds peace from a simple gesture. I loved these two! I honestly felt sympathy for more characters than just the main couple.

Agol and Geena were two I wished could have had more backstory. Although more backstory is not something the manga needed for them, I personally wanted to know more. Who was Geena's mother?

I liked the black-haired girl and her mother too, who were both so beautiful, but not very memorable. The people of the last town were hilarious and imaginative!

Art:
Izark is handsome but in certain shots his mullet looks unflattering and his pointed dorito chip nose didn't help. In other shots, he's the heartthrob the manga intended him to be. I like seeing him in motion in his numerous fight scenes and his agility on display.

Noriko like before stated had very few expressions that were repeated often, but she looked beyond gorgeous whenever Izark would pick her up when she was sleeping. Noriko's side views sometimes looked like her forehead would sink in and her eyes would be two inches above her mouth, which was not a look I like. Keep that for chibis.

The backgrounds were diverse and the clothing (a mixture of Japanese and Middle Eastern) was very appealing. I liked the nice collars, stylish boots, and long jackets!

The monsters were gruesome just like you would expect too!

Overall:
I am glad I read this, and I want to find another manga in this vein. I love those “girl gets teleported to another world” shoujo stories. Still, I wish Kanata Kara could have been a bit more romantic. There were like three kisses in total, and they were less than pecks! Maybe the timeframe of this manga made it super chaste but come on I like a nice shoujo kiss with or without cherry blossoms in the background.

What makes From Far Away different? I never heard of this series before, just stumbled upon it on a random search for reading material and it blew me away. I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to art, but in terms of storyline, progression and characterization, I was really pleased.

The first thing I thought was really interesting about this series was that the 'spirited away' girl had to learn the language spoken in the new world and it takes her a lot of times and several misunderstandings. The fact that you see her language progress and become less clumsy through the story is something I think more writers should take into consideration. Given, the same language seems to be used over many different countries, but I'll just give my thumbs up for the original idea of language barrier.

The flow of the story is really good. It keeps you on edge: "will he become the monster that brings the end of the world"? and, for the wide range of supporting characters, you never have the feeling you have to stop and think hard about who is what.

The romance element was just perfect -in my opinion- because I felt there was no rush. It's not love at first sight, and it's also not a "bickering couple" a la Pride and Prejudice style which seems to be a trend when it comes to romances. The characters just slowly grow to love each other. There's also no love triangles, which I find refreshing (ok, so there's a guy who starts liking Noriko, but she flat out rejects him short after). The way Noriko and Izark tease each other was endearingly sweet without it being too mushy.

As someone who doesn't believe in absolute good and evil, it was somewhat bothering the fact that there's "good people" and "bad people"... but by the end of the story this matter is resolved in a way I felt was satisfying.

The interaction between main characters and supporting characters was really good. You can see how their personalities influence each other and allow the main characters to grow.

Now, when it comes to the characterization of the main couple, I'm very pleased with Noriko's characterization, but not as pleased with Izark.

Noriko is different from most female characters in these "spirited away" series in that she is very mature and she doesn't throw childish tantrums or fight with the people who help her. Very early on she decides to trust Izark (who just saved her life) and you never see her questioning her trust on him. She's usually very coolheaded, and doesn't usually run into trouble out of stupidity. In her growth as a character she becomes a lot more self-confident and brave, but she's still no warrior. Overall, a great character.

Izark was a lot more of a standard character for this sort of genre. Beautiful, powerful with a dark past and a darker destiny. Considering all the times this guy must have been bashed and beaten up, you'd at least expect him to have a broken nose at some point, but apparently he's so good looking he can pass as an actor (is this something to do with his regeneration abilities?). There's a lot of development on this character from an aloof lone warrior to a person who can even make jokes every now and then and even ridicule himself for the sake of his friends. I think his interaction with Alef is exquisitely rich. Still, I wouldn't call him the most original of characters. As Noriko first notices, he's a good guy.

All in all, even if this series is not perfect, I think it's a must-read for people into fantasy shojo. It's really a good story and unless you're really not into shojo or fantasy, I can't think of one reason why you wouldn't like it.

This is a Hidden Gem!!

I stumbled on this manga when I was trying to find a similar story line to Red River.
I didn't have any expectations...but WOW did it become addicting.

The best thing about this manga are the characters, characters and well...CHARACTERS!! XD
I fell in love with the Hero and Heroine. I totally expected Noriko to become totally dependent and emotional about being stuck in a different world like some heroines become! NOT Noriko!! And thats why I Love her! She sucks it up, learns the language, and does her own thing!! Izark is the guy any girl would want to have if such a thing happened to her!! He is stoic, warrior, and strategist. But also has a softer side to him.**did I mention good lookin?? ;)** Together they make on heck of a team!!

The plot just added to the growing relationship between Izark and Noriko. He has a hard time trusting ppl but slowly Noriko is able to break all of his fears and doubts! This is just my opinion but I LOVE this manga. I'm surprised that there were such few reviews so I had to make one!!

>>OVERALL 10, 10, 10!!! (WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING HIGHER!! XD)

Kanata Kara disappointed me greatly. This is because it's been receiving quite a promoter scores but when I actually read it, it is not the case. This had been playing just around my average line.

The art was pretty good, it is just that the story was a bit lacking of adventure and essential richness. There seems to be so many thing going on but really not. New characters have been coming on all sides but no proper introduction about them before they come in was done. Or even when the story progresses, they seems to hold such a very important role in the character leads story progress but they are just too dull that it is hard to get attached to them.

The leads were pretty cool, it just that they came in with the mission of that of a wrecking ball but did not wreck anything. Except my expectations. They offered what was describe of them and just that--didn't see any notable or amazing improvement on their roles.

This is something that was kind of a good pastime for quick enjoyment but if you would have the option to look for others--might as well try skipping this one out.

Above are all my opinions, subjected to my own tastes and preferences.

It's an honor to have this excellent manga be my first review. I absolutely loved this manga it is my favorite and I have read alot. I've never felt that a manga or anime was so incredible to the point where I wanted to review it (and I can't stand writing)!

Kinata Kara is about a girl who is taken to another world and meets the companion she will stay with for the rest of her life. They don't hit it off at first but they gradually get closer as the story progresses. You follow them on their amazing, action filled adventure to find out who they really are and what the prophecy really means. It's a bumpy road full of twist and turns but they always remember, in the end their not alone!

This is my first review so bear with me...
This manga is one of my favorites for so many reasons:

Story - 9
This is one of those stories where at the end, you feel immensely satisfied, but sad that it didn't go on forever.
Unlike some stories of the time-travelling genre, this is pretty realistic as far as fantasy goes. When Noriko first arrives in a strange world, she doesn't understand the language there, which is pretty rare in other stories of this type. She has to put forth some effort to get along in her new world. And she has a realistic yet optimistic view of things; she's not some happy-go-lucky, tra-la-la ditz like other shojo heroines. She's tough, I like that in my heroines! And Izark... he's so handsome and so loveable! You feel sorry for him because of his "fate" but at the same time, he's such a nice guy and he always puts on a brave face, so you find yourself cheering for him. Not to mention he's one heck of a warrior!

Art - 9
The art is simple and beautiful. It's an older manga, so for those of you who mostly read mangas with the newer-style art, the drawings in Kanata Kara might take some getting used to. Personally, I think this is some of the best artwork in an "older" manga that I've seen, and the body proportions are good.

Character - 8
The development is smooth and pleasant. The way things progress, it all feels so natural. Only once or twice during a few chapters did I ever feel like the story was dragging a little, but it always picked up the pace again in the next chapter or so. If I had to choose, I would prefer a story to lag a little than to rush things too quickly.

Enjoyment - 10
There's a reason this story is one of my favorites. I enjoyed reading this manga, and it doesn't leave an overly-sweet aftertaste either, unlike a lot of stories in the shojo genre.

Overall - 9
This manga is really a classic. I think almost anyone who reads this will find themselves laughing & crying with the characters.

This is undeniably one of the most inspirational mangas I have ever read. No matter how many times I reread it, I feel like I'm reading it for the first time. The romance between Noriko and Izark is so adorable and really develops over the course of the story. I can feel my heart getting all warm and fuzzy whenever their together, as if I was the one falling in love XD

Not only are the characters enjoyable and wonderful people, but you also get the sense that they behave realistically, with a basic understanding of their own limitations and common sense, which is surprisingly rare in most other manga and anime.
Noriko is a wonderful take on the dependent female character type. She gets kidnapped a few times, but in general she gets kidnapped for legitimate reasons. While other dependent females get kidnapped because they're pretty and the enemy wants to bone them, Noriko gets kidnapped or almost murdered because her mental faculties and pure, loving heart make her an asset and a threat to evil. Not to mention, she has such a wonderfully positive outlook on life, that it is simply contagious. I also love, that she is the one dependent female character I can think of whose personality or characteristics cannot be changed. If you change Noriko in any way, the story just doesn't work the same or as well. Noriko literally just being who she is is what gives her and her friends strength. It's very inspiring and empowering, especially in the real work were magic and superpowers don't exist.

One thing I especially love about the story is the world building and the continuity. You can really tell that the manga-ka spent a lot of time building this world and the many different cultures and governments within it, with prophesies, misinterpreted prophesies, and other worlds galore.
Also, unlike other, more episodic mangas, characters and events which happen and appear towards the beginning of the series actually come back and influence the later half of the manga in a very big way. And by that I mean that if Noriko and Izark didn't go to all those places, meet all those people, and gain all those experiences, the ending of this manga would have been DRASTICALLY different.
On the subject of world building, I just want to note how much I appreciate that the manga-ka actually addressed the whole issue of a language barrier when traveling to another dimension or time (as opposed to being completely brushed aside by a magical deus ex machina such as in Daughter of the Nile and Red River). Just wanted to mention that.

The art in this manga wasn't mind-blowing, but I didn't really care. It's obviously a 90s art style and some of the character designs, especially for non-main characters are somewhat cartoony, but that didn't stop me from going humina humina whenever Izark was on the page, and especially whenever he was dressed sexily.

My ONLY regret with this manga is that there isn't more of it. I want more Izark and Noriko!! DX