Kanata kara

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: From the Other Side

Japanese: 彼方から

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 14

Chapters: 57

Status: Finished

Published: Sep 24, 1991 to Jan 24, 2003

Genres: Adventure, Award Winning, Fantasy, Romance

Themes: Isekai, Mythology

Demographic: Shoujo

Serialization: LaLa

Authors: Hikawa, Kyouko (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.33¹ (scored by 6,481 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #293²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1251

Members: 17,594

Favorites: 717

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8.33

Ranked #293Popularity #1251Members 17,594

MangaLaLaHikawa, Kyouko (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /14

Chapters: /57

From Far Away

Vol. 1
$6.99

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Synopsis

Noriko Tachiki has dreamt of a beautiful fantasy land for some time, though her friends think it is only her imagination. One day, on her way home, Noriko stumbles upon a bomb disguised as a paper bag that explodes right in front of her. However, instead of dying, she is transported to a mysterious forest full of strange plants and creatures.

As she begins navigating through the woods, Noriko is suddenly attacked by a giant, worm-like monster. Fortunately, she is saved by Izark Kia Tarj, a swordsman who does not speak her language. Lacking the strength to survive on her own, Noriko decides to follow her stoic savior, taking the opportunity to learn the foreign land's language and be more useful to Izark.

Unbeknownst to her, Noriko is a crucial piece of an ancient prophecy. She is "The Awakening"—a being destined to unleash the greatest evil known as the "Sky Demon." With influential people plotting to capture Noriko for her supposed powers, both she and Izark must fend for themselves and overcome a future laced with chaos.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Kanata Kara won in the Best Comic category for the 35th Seiun Awards in 2004.

The series was published in English as From Far Away by VIZ Media under the Shojo Beat imprint from November 10, 2004 to January 9, 2007, and digitally from March 12, 2013 to July 9, 2013.

More characters
Characters

Kia Tarj, Izark

Main

Tachiki, Noriko

Main

Il Biska, Gaya

Supporting

Barago

Supporting

Irktule

Supporting

Doros

Supporting

Alef

Supporting

Haas, Geena

Supporting

De Girene, Jeida

Supporting

Goda, Keimos Lee

Supporting

Reviews

Dec 1, 2020

mythicamagic

Recommended

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 ...

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May 6, 2019

Bubuful

Recommended

This is one of the best manga i have ever read. Why you ask? It's simple:
First of all, i really love how the heroine acts. She is not the type that just stands in the way like an obstacle, she always wants to help, tries to be brave even when she is scared, she tries to do her best all the time. But the most important think is that she is not clingy.
Secondly, i like how every character has it's role. The story isn't rushed, their feelings evolve not too fast but not slow either. Their relationship is too cute and pure, it is beautiful ...

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Oct 29, 2022

pumpkinnmayo

Mixed Feelings

Noriko, a typical Japanese high schooler, is suddenly caught in a terrorist bombing and transported to a sea full of trees with giant insects and dragons. A mysterious man Izark with seemingly superhero strength saves her from giant worms, and she's now the center of a giant hunt as The Awakening, with the power to awaken the power of a mythical sky demon. From Far Away helped define many of the tropes central to modern isekai before the deluge of a lifeless, never-ending cycle of low quality isekai. So, although many of these tropes have been seen before and will be seen again, the story ... stands on its own because of how it manages to execute these tropes long before they were ubiquitous in Japanese media.

Despite the excellent plot twists in the first 2/3rds of the story, From Far Away suffers from a weak plot and poor characters at the end. Although not a short series, it introduces too many characters for us to get close to, and the entire story revolves around Noriko and Izark. This dynamic starts on an excellent foot, understand that a character transported to a new world cannot speak the local language, and how they slowly bridge that gap is engaging and fresh. That our lead may awaken a nearly omnipotent demon that will destroy the world is an interesting twist, a story suggesting moral ambiguity of a character who we relate to potentially being central to causing great evil. Despite this promise, it ends in lazy storytelling of extreme good versus evil, rather than the idea of good and evil being two sides of the same coin hinted at earlier. Rather than end with shades of gray, with characters with different moral compasses leading to thorny issues and an epic ending, or blue/orange morality on how a foreign land's ethics might be diifferent to our own, the villains are uninspired and comically bad. It's light against darkness, and it doesn't get less uninspired than that.

We also get little to no insight into Noriko's life back home, despite the pain Noriko must feel from leaving everyone she knew behind. This is haphardly reintroduced for moments when needed as a plot device, but never sufficiently explored.

That said, it's easy to judge From Far Away by the standards of today, at a time where these tropes weren't as commonplace. The execution in most of the series is good, and coupled with the plot twists still stands even today. The ending, however, and the deluge of poorly developed characters, drag this story down to barely above average.

As far as the art, it's above average for shoujo art of the genre, and Izark's design is quite well done. Despite the similarity between Izark and a few others, there's also a large number of supporting characters with good character designs superior to the norms of the time period. All in all, it's hard to recommend this series today. Not all classics withstand the test of time and this seems to hardly excel even at the time it was written.

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Poll: Kanata kara Chapter 26 Discussion KitaTsuki - Mar 6, 2018	1 replies	by choimochi »» Sep 20, 2023 10:10 AM
Poll: Kanata Kara Chapter 56 Discussion jacobpaige - Apr 1, 2011	6 replies	by pumpkinnmayo »» Oct 28, 2022 11:54 PM
So how do you figure out what chapter you are on? SmillieReacts - Nov 24, 2020	1 replies	by lynsie »» May 16, 2022 4:17 PM
Poll: Kanata kara Chapter 24 Discussion KitaTsuki - Mar 6, 2018	1 replies	by SmillieReacts »» Dec 16, 2020 7:15 PM
Poll: Kanata kara Chapter 20 Discussion tr25a3 - Feb 21, 2019	0 replies	by tr25a3 »» Feb 21, 2019 10:05 AM

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