彼方から

KANATA KARA

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
14
RELEASE
January 24, 2003
CHAPTERS
61

DESCRIPTION

On her way home from school one day, Noriko is unexpectedly plunged into a strange and extraordinary fantasy world. Her troubles compound exponentially when she is rescued and befriended by a handsome young man by the name of Izark. He may be brave and courageous, but inside Izark lurks the darkest evil imaginable. And according to an ancient prophecy, Noriko possesses the power to unleash that evil. Now, inexorably bound together, these two unlikely allies must navigate a world both wondrous and hostile.

(Source: Viz)

Note:

Includes two side stories
Includes one epilogue
Includes one extra
Includes a sequel one-shot for "Onnanoko wa Yoyuu!" titled "Mata Ashita!" (また明日!)

CAST

Izark Kia Tarj
Noriko Tachiki
Rachef
Keimos Lee Goda
Agol Dena Ofa
Geena Haas
Gaya Il Biska
Irktule
Doros
Barago
Jeida De Girene

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

FloralFlames
80/100
A chick with 3 facial expressions falls in love with the most non-Gary-stu character ever, and it's beautiful.
Story:
Kanata Kara/From Far Away was an interesting read with a few twists that make it one of the better "teenager transported to another world" stories. There is a constant feeling 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 that's for sure.

The ending was really lackluster, but I enjoyed the journey and finished the series in two days. I think it was decent fun, not delirious but decent. Halfway Spoiler: There aren't any weddings or 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 expressions 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 Studio Ghibli 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 the development of his character and powers. He had a lot of 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. Instead, he prefers swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat.

A good point with Kanta Kara is Izark, arguably the strongest character alive, isn't a Gary-stu. 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 evolve. 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 she is treated like an actual character. Gasp! She is a great warrior, mother figure, and shrewd businesswoman. 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!

Garabog 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 did not help. In other shots, he's the heartthrob the manga intended him to be. I like seeing him in motion during 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 is 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:

[SCORE: 8/10 | 80% | SMILEY FACE :) ]

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.

But yes, definitely read this!
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RoseFaerie
95/100
A simple story, which succeeds through realism.
I have been reviewing a lot of otome isekai lately, so I guess it's fitting that I recently finished From Far Away, a classic shoujo isekai. This is from the days where InuYasha and Fushigi Yugi were the isekai staples instead of Sword Art Online. This is not a reincarnation story, but the story of an ordinary girl being transported into an extraordinary word.

From Far Away begins when eighteen year old Noriko is transported into a mysterious fantasy world, where she is rescued from danger by a handsome swordsman, Izark. However, unbeknownst to Noriko, she is the Awakening, who is foretold to unleash the greatest evil imaginable, the Sky Demon, who turns out to be Izark himself. The two of them decide to go against fate and put an end to the source of all evil instead of unleashing it. However, there are many people who want to use their powers for themselves.

The story is a very simple good versus evil story. You can be sure Izark would be beating up someone after him and Noriko every volume. However, I don't think that its' simplicity is inherently bad. I don't think a work has to be super complex in order to be enjoyable. However, the biggest thing that contributes to the story's success is its' realism. Noriko doesn't speak the language of the new world and has to learn it in the first few volumes. She can't fight or take on major opponents since she lacks the training. The side characters who are conventionally unattractive are treated as people and are some of the most valued cast members.

The romance itself is impeccable. Noriko and Izark both depend on each other for different reasons, while having lives outside of their romantic endeavors. Noriko falling for Izark is very believable, as he is the first person she met in this world, and he sticks by her side no matter what. He is kind and offers her the support she needs, as well as protecting her from enemies. Izark himself needs Noriko for support as well. He has been isolated his whole life for his powers, and Noriko is the first person to discover them and treat him as a person. He has a hard time opening up, due to years of social rejection, but he grows in order to accept the love of the people around him. I adored their relationship, and I loved the way it developed. Izark had his issues, but he never took his negative emotions out on Noriko. I think they're a lovely couple who are well suited for each other.

Noriko herself is rather helpless in terms of combat, but that didn't make her weak in my eyes. I feel like she's incredibly well adjusted and strong willed, despite needing to rely on Izark to defend her. She is very mature, and I thought it was nice to have a heroine who is isekai-ed as a young adult rather than a young teen. Even if she can't fight, Noriko provides emotional support to her teammates, as well as her own brand of connecting with the supernatural, which is different from the various seer characters from the series.

Izark has a lot of issues. He has a lot of fear of rejection, particularly regarding his powers. Noriko helps him to become the best version of himself. He has a lot of inner turmoil, and yet he remains a kind person. Having people to rely on made him stronger and more human. I really appreciated how he was still loving and respectful of the people around him, which is unfortunately not always the case for other MLs with dark pasts.

The side cast is very likeable. My personal favorite was Gaya, a cook who is actually one of the most powerful and renowned warriors in the Gray Bird Tribe. She's very skilled at swordsmanship, and she's treated with an astounding amount of respect considering she's an older and conventionally unattractive woman. I adore how she is portrayed as both a motherly figure and a strong warrior in her own right. I also really adored Doros, a Chimos breeder who was initially on the wrong side, due to being a bit slow on the uptake of his employers' evil intentions. However, he's a very kind and loving person, who does so much for our leads. He's very sweet, despite not being particularly bright.

Other characters include Agol a mercenary and his blind daughter, Geena, who is training to become a seer. We also have Barago and Banadam, part of their squadron, who didn't leave much of an impact. Duke Jeida is a deposed ruler, who was sent into hiding after the higher powers took issues with his opinions. His wife and daughter were very likeable characters, with his daughter's maturity and his wife's airheadedness.

The villains have simple motivations, which fit the simplicity of the plot. Rachef had a similar upbringing as Izark, yet he had no one kind to depend on and took a darker path. Keimos only feels like he has value if he is best in his only talent, fighting. He quickly becomes obsessed with Izark, the only person to defeat him. Tazasheena is an arrogant seer who wants power, but realizes that she isn't valued by her companions. I would love to see what she would do with her life after the conclusion.

I absolutely adored the ending. I think it was full of hope, and I think the tie in between Noriko's world and Izark's was super cute. I would have loved to see more of their futures.

The art was super cute and retro feeling, given that this series is from the early 90's. I personally loved how the characters had such a variety of designs. There were so many characters who weren't conventionally attractive, mixed in with characters who are traditionally beautiful. I wasn't sure how much I'd like the art, but I got very attached to it.

This series could have been a lot deeper than it was, but it didn't negate how much I loved it. I think this is a fun shoujo that I could even recommend to fans of battle shounen, since the fights are very clear and easy to follow. I adore this series and I think it is a great reads for both fans of action-adventure and romance alike.
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