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: 8.35¹ (scored by 5,872 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #263²

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

Popularity: #1206

Members: 15,716

Favorites: 688

Resources

Wikipedia

8.35

Ranked #263Popularity #1206Members 15,716

MangaLaLaHikawa, Kyouko (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /14

Chapters: /57

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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

Haas, Geena

Supporting

De Girene, Jeida

Supporting

Goda, Keimos Lee

Supporting

Rachef

Supporting

Reviews

Feb 10, 2009

Suzuhana

Recommended

I can't believe that no review has been written for this beautiful manga yet. I wouldn't even hold this is competition with Fushigi Yuugi, because Fushigi would never have a chance. Don't read FY. Read From Far Away. It's so much more realistic, more beautiful and Noriko could kick Miaka's ass any day. And Izark would kick Tamahome's ass.

I had been holding off on reading this one for a while. I had assumed (never something you should do) that it would be like FY. And not that I hated FY, but Miaka pissed me off. I did not like her. And there were ... too many guys in potential for Miaka and that was like what the whole story was about. Miaka and these sexy guys trying to win something but there too sexy so how does that even make sense?

Anyway, I finally decided to read it. First off Noriko is 18, which hit off better with me. Because she's not some hysterical, emotional 16 year old little girl (like whine-y Miaka!). Noriko is so down to earth, and more mature.

So I started reading and at it first it was like all the other "girl who gets transported to some other world to save it" deal, but then Noriko is actually a very calm, very responsible girl. She doesn't freak out like some child and she doesn't take for granted Izark who is helping her. She actually has to learn the language, which Miaka does not, and she spends a lot of time here. You find out that she is the key to Izark and his demonic powers, and that this prophecy is all about the apocalypse. Or well you know. Of course the heroes have to save the world from the evil doers!

I think what kept me was the emotional bond that I could see developing between Izark (tragic hero) and Noriko (optimistic heroine) immediately. There wasn't this "insta love connection" and "oh he's so hot". Noriko sees Izark for who he really is, inside his heart. Despite the demons that follow him. Izark also sees the good in Noriko, her kindness, her worth despite her fragility. The bond between these two is incredibly real, much more tangible than other "transported girl" plots, and you can't help but smile. Because it's both sad and wonderful. Who they are and what they are is something that is resolved.

And it was their romance that I was so intent on reading for more for. When I was reading FY, I was always so angry with Miaka and how selfish and pathetic and whine-y she really seemed to be. The only thing Miaka did in my opinion was find the warriors. Then they did all the work. But in From Far Away, Noriko and Izark take on the world saving task all by themselves. They support each other and it was a much more mature relationship. Izark needed Noriko in ways that only she could seem to be there for (if I remember correctly Miaka did a lot of needing, not Tamahome). And Izark was their to support her as well. Noriko sees her struggles, works them out rationally, and then pursues what she can do to help her in her and Izark's quest. She tries to take on as many problems as Izark does, she just has a better handle on things and is fluid in the way she handles things thrown at her. Granted she cried out for Izark every time someone man-handled her, but could be explained by her inability to fight.

The art is something I take pleasure in. It's so beautiful and clean. Although, I could have gone without all of the bams, thuds, screeches and any other big bolded black letters that were thrown in just about every damn fight scene! That blocked out some of the picture and kept my attention diverted which I did not like. But it was gorgeous. The flow between each panel was good. And the emotions were caught perfectly.

The characters are wonderful. The development between Noriko and Izark is beautiful and lonely and difficult. Izark is full of despair and Noriko is like a bubble of courage. The supporting characters are funny and fit well in complementing Izark and Noriko. Just remember that the story is about our two heroes, so the secondary characters do take a back seat often.

The story does not focus on love, nor does it solely focus on fighting. Rather it's more the struggle between good and evil, the light and the dark that each and every single person must go through. The romance was slow, sweet and perfect. The fights were bloody. But it was the battle that people had to take up for themselves to defeat the evil that was inside them and around them.

Of course if you have read Fushigi Yuugi, I would more than just recommend From Far Away. But if you are like any other shoujo/romance person than I say read this. It's not exactly short, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Take the time to read this.

Btw, did I mention that this is SO MUCH BETTER than Fushigi Yuugi?

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Feb 5, 2010

klaudiviris

Recommended

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.

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Oct 29, 2022

ialex32

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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Kanata kara
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