this manga, if just described to you sound like run-of-the-mill good vs evil and light vs darkness kind of manga, with the usual happy go lucky girl and the cool and mysterious guy - and this is right, but in a way it is highly disservice to think of this manga as 'just' this. because the execution in creating a classic tale as this is done perfectly - and it makes you delve into the world seamlessly and you will be enthralled by the charming characters you meet.

i had held on from reading this manga because i held deep prejudice against the cute bumbling girl and cool guy pairing, and i now im stand corrected. it doesnt matter if the character profile is an unimaginative pairing, but its the way they interact with each other and the world that is important. bumbling doesn't mean an irritating girl, being cool and quite doesn't make the character an unpleasant emo. this manga show me that any type of character, as long as handled carefully, can be lovable and charming.

i recommend this to any manga lover. eventhough im not a shoujo reader, this grab me from beginning to the end and i hope others can also experience the enthralling world of kanata kara.

... Last updated on July 27th, 2014, 6:44am

Some may say this story is typical or cliched, but the storytelling itself is superb. There's character development and some awesome themes - just because they're ones that have been explored by other authors doesn't mean that a story can't have the same ones. In fact, if the author brings a deeper insight into it, that's what makes a story really stand out. What kept the story really going was its terrific plot. Some may call it typical, but it is how the author weaves the story out for the reader that captures their attention and interest. Though the art or the predicted results are also important elements in a story, what makes a story worth reading is through the way it is told. Again, these are opinions from different people and it may not be to everyone's liking - but why not give it a try?

... Last updated on January 31st, 2014, 2:59pm

When I see the cover, I think I will just read this for time waster. BUT! It's really a great story, great romance, and surprisingly have a very interesting plot. It's seems real, when noriko have to learn their language first (most of fantasy story have only ONE language, somehow the hero just be able to speak as others), and then Izark was not a super hero who able to do everything (I like how he become weak sometimes and feels all burdened by noriko). And I also like noriko character, she is not an annoying crybaby girl. indeed she a crybaby, but she always do her best and thinking positive. These two character combination and those awesome plot really addictive!

You know that feeling when you've just experienced the most epic, memorable story and you're not sure whether you'll ever recover from it or read anything like it again? That's the effect of Kanata Kara/From Far Away. It needs no lengthy explanation or justification - it's simply a beautiful, sweeping masterpiece with a touching love story and heartwarming message at its center.

... Last updated on February 2nd, 2016, 4:30am

I'm so sad to see it end, and it was so good. But I appreciate that it didn't become a bitch by just going on and on forever and never coming to a real ending. This one is a ten for me because I love the very Daughter Of The Nile-girl-traveling-to-another-world aspect of the book. At the same time it made NONE of the mistakes that DOTN made. It didn't take forever with the intro and got straight to the good part. Plus it was so much more realistic, such as how Noriko can't understand their language and has to learn it (those chapters where adorable!), unlike Carol who can magically speak ancient Egyptian or like Yuri in Red River who learns the language after kissing a dude (seriously what is up with that?!). Plus the romance develops at a good pace and isn't entirely unrealistic where the girl goes, "I hate you... oh now you saved me so now I love you" (LAME). This one more realistically portrays how a romance would work out (granted the process is a bit sped up, but they're together 24/7 and they have a telepathic connection, so it's ok).
I found the ending a little anticlimactic since it was sort of not what I was expecting based off of what a friend told me (but in such a way as to be totally excited with me but at the same time to not spoil the ending. Plus she read it almost a year ago so that probably didn't help). If she hadn't said anything then I would have totally 100% predicted the ending. The symbolism and greater-meaning-for-the-world-ly-ness of it kind of reminds me of what a lot of other animes do such as Evangelion, Sailor Moon, Pretear, Mnemosyne, just to name a few. Still it fits, it gets its point across, even to the American audience which thinks that half of the Final Fantasy games are too hard, and it ties up all the loose ends. ALL OF THEM! Plus you don't feel bad about the fact that her parents think she died in a terrorist bombing and that she has a picture of herself with a black ribbon on her desk, unlike some other series which shall not be mentioned which rush the ending and don't tie up half their loose ends. This way you don't stay up until all hours of the night wondering what happens to the other characters but you can still imagine funny fan fics (or serious fan fics, whatever floats your boat).
Just a few more points about why I like this manga and then I'm done, I promise. 1. there's an actual continuous plot and not just a compilation of getting kidnapped, getting into a fight and then making up at the last minute to defeat the bad guy, or any of that other overused dribble that comes out of manga-kas’ asses, 2. Everything that happens in the story, and all the main characters that you meet have an actual role in the story, no I'm-going-to-help-you-discover-yourself-then-never-see-you-again-ever, 3. The female lead is helpless, but she's not a wimp. She knows her limitations and doesn't do ridiculously stupid things. I think that's it. Yep that's it (if it's not YOU'LL KNOW).
This was just an all-around great manga, a joy to read. It has just the right mix of pulsing I-need-to-read-more and light hearted funniness that just makes you smile and happy to be human. Plus it leaves the reader better for the wear. After reading this, I want to go out and be a better person (whether I actually will or not is another matter, but I WANT to, and that's the first step right ... right?)


... Last updated on June 3rd, 2011, 7:15pm

Kanata Kara is easily one of my favorite shoujo series. Good romance, well-developed characters, nice pacing and a very believable.

As other people have mentioned it is not the MOST original manga, containing a number of so-called cliche aspects to it's romance and plot. However, I personally do not mind cliches, and if you're reading shoujo, chances are you already know what to expect.

Cliche or not, the series, for what it is, is very well done. I like the art style, very classic 90's shoujo fastasy, but the manga-ka has demonstrated a mastery of it, and i like the variety present in the abundant character designs.

One of the other aspects of this manga that i truly appreciate is the lack of heavy-handed irrational heroism, that is, no doing good for good's sake. From the beginning, when we see the heroine arrive in a strange place and cope with language and culture barriers, you can clearly understand that the motivations behind all the characters actions are very rooted in survival and basic human nature, thus everyone, even many of the antagonists, are believable.

The romance is exceptionally charming, and the author has a very keen sense of the subtlety in expressions and gestures for her characters. The act of falling in love never breaks with the character's individual personality and development, as happens often with shoujo where a character suddenly takes on the personality of someone else the moment they fall in love, or fall in love too quickly.

Finally, although some accuse the manga of being to political, i find there is just enough to give it substance, so that the romance has something to stand on. At the very least, at no point does that manga drag, so there seems to be a good balance with the pacing.

The only thing i was wholly disappointed by was the ending, not for how it ended, but the fact that i had no more to read!

... Last updated on March 27th, 2012, 3:13pm

I would say this was a very solid manga, through and through. It had a decent plot, decent characters and always headed in the direction it needed to in order to get to the end.

With that said, the author played it a little safe. I think there were many chances the author could have taken to break out of the story's comfort zone and go for gold and make this a truly remarkable work. Instead, she opted to keep the characters from growing too much and letting them bring the story to a whole new level. An example of this would be:

I can't fully call this 'epic' because, while all the elements of an epic manga were there, it was lacking the awe-inspiring emotion I feel should be in an epic story. As I described the story to my sister, "it flat-lined." It didn't draw emotions from me like it should. I never felt nervous or worried for the main characters in a tough situation. I never felt excited or giddy when their relationship grew closer. I felt neither happy nor sad when the story finished. It started, progressed, ended and that was it. Also, the author never went for the extreme and instead pulled back when she got even a little close to the edge. I would have liked to see her dive head first off the cliff even once. To me, that kind of attempt (if successful) is what helps to make a story epic.

Now, I rated it fairly high because there were many elements I liked about the story, and like I described it - it was solid. The only thing I feel that is missing is the author taking chances and going a step further with the story to create an emotional draw for the reader. She told the story on the surface, but she didn't pull me in and that's the only disappointment I have... That, and maybe that Izark didn't try to learn a little Japanese. Would've been nice to see him study Noriko's language too.

There's so much to say about what makes this manga great I've got to divide it up into sections.

The Art-
Personally, I love the art. And I really respect manga artists who "update" their style to make it more modern. The author has some really old works, but you can plainly see improvements in the style. It's not blocky or crude, it's detailed and inventive. The clothes, the monsters, the PEOPLE (which I emphasize, because they all are so unique), the backgrounds; there's just so much effort put into this manga.
(Though I do admit...Izark's semi-mullet's kind of...UGH)

The Characters-
Izark is a somewhat typical gary-stu, I do admit. But I love that we get to look into the mind of someone who fears a future laid out for them. He's physically strong and seemingly all around perfect, but he's not. He has his flaws too, and though there's less of them, his insecurities and imperfections make him more human. Noriko is just like most people have already said, she's weak and "just an ordinary girl", but she's strong-willed and tries her best in everything. I often try to picture myself in her situations, what could I do different? I might be slightly physically stronger, but it wouldn't help much. I doubt I could run away much faster, or use a sword any better -- she's from a modern world where fencing is a sport, not something most people have to learn.
The side characters are a lot of fun too, even if you don't become as attached. The story isn't about them, it's about Noriko and Izark. While often side characters help to improve the main characters, in this case they pretty much support them. It would be interesting to see if they were more important, but I'm fine with the way the story is.
The antagonists in general, are just psychotic individuals. There isn't much rhyme or reason to why they do things, and they aren't really explained. I kind of like it that way, that we don't know what makes a person insane.

The Story-
One thing I really enjoy is the language barrier in the beginning. A lot of stories don't attempt it, because it's tough to make it work. More often one of the protagonists can *somehow* speak the same language (ie Red River, where he just kisses her and she understands the language... yeah, good job getting out of that one). The author did a great job here, and it works perfectly. There isn't too much story spent when she can't speak the language, and later on we still see some of her language mix-ups.
I think, after that, as most people have said, the story isn't all that unique. It's predictable and a little cliche, but what I've learned throughout my years is that it's not necessarily how different a story is that makes it great, but how it was written and portrayed to the readers. And in that fashion, it was done excellently. Compare this shoujo to most other shoujos. Love triangles being a major plot point? Not in this one. Jealousy and mistrust between the couple? Not really. Maybe some people like all that excess drama, but I'm sick and tired of it. It's nice seeing a couple that just loves each other, with no doubts or worries.
The ending, in the back of my mind, always felt a little weak. I wished it were drawn out just a little bit longer to explain things better, but, it was also beautiful in its own way. And it was a little different, so I accept it even if I feel it lacks a little.
In the end, this fictional story was well told and is one of the best manga's I've ever read, and I hope that others can thoroughly enjoy it as well.

Hehe....long comment sorry. TL;DR it's a good read

... Last updated on February 15th, 2011, 12:42pm

Words can't express how much I love this manga! I can't believe I never wrote a review about Kanata Kara when I've read it almost 10 times! .First of all, its so timeless, for a manga that is a bit old, the art is beautiful, and the females, especially Noriko, is not overly exaggerated. Secondly, the plot is straight forward, I like the fact that "realness" was added to this manga by the fact that she had to learn their language. Other mangas where characters go back in time, tend to automatically make their mains know the language of where ever they were transported to, which makes no sense. Thirdly, personality means a lot to me when I'm reading manga, and throughout the whole manga, both of the main's personalities were enjoyable. Noriko was neither annoying or whinny and Izark showed that he wasn't just a handsome face who can pretty much do anything, they had their flaws, but thats what made the manga so magnificent! I can read this manga anytime and anywhere, this truly holds a place in my heart. This deserves a 10, I would recommend this manga to anyone

... Last updated on July 28th, 2013, 12:28pm

Honestly, this has to be my all-time favourite manga. It just had the perfect mix of fantasy, action, romance, and adventure it literally got me hooked from the very first pages. I love how the story not only revolved around the romantic relationship between the leads, but the other characters and events of the world as well. The plot was a lot more complex compared to other shoujos. Loved the art and the author just did such an amazing job with the characters. You just can't help but love them all Not only Izark and Noriko, but everyone else along the journey as well. I really connected with them and cared for all of them. The story just literally took me to another world and now I feel really sad that it ended But the ending was satisfying just as much as the rest of the series. Overall, it was super sweet, exciting, original, and totally awesome! DON'T MISS THIS ONE! I will definitely be reading it again!!

... Last updated on March 26th, 2013, 9:13pm