First of all, I'd like to say this is my FAVORITE SHOUJO MANGA OF ALL TIME!!!! The large cast of characters wasn't overwhelming (like they so often can be), and each had a nice, different personality that are easy to like. At one point I even found myself liking the villains ^.^ This shoujo is so different from other shoujos. The love isn't too fast or rushed like any other shoujo, it feels more real. Plus, I appreciated the fact that there was more than just the romance to the plot! Kanata Kara has a nice, interesting plot that kept me reading straight through the night (which I regretted later that day -.-). There was some character development, but it didn't overload my brain with all of their stories.

The only reason I didn't give this a full 10 was because of some minor flaws, such as the story dragging a bit in places (and a FAILED mini-love triangle (we all knew he didn't stand a chance against Izark)).
I know the art is old fashioned.... But this is worth it! READ IT!

Ps this is my first review.... Sorry if I messed up or missed anything!

Probably my favorite part of this series is the characters. I love the leads. Noriko is thrust into a very difficult situation in a place where she doesn't even know the language, but she refuses to allow herself to mope or to become a burden. She's clever and spirited and I simply adore her. Also, Izark has a nice, slow character growth arc that feels believable and makes him very real.

The supporting cast is also pretty neat. Not everyone is unrealistically young and pretty. They're as well developed as time allows, and I found myself rooting for them, especially Gaya.

Overall, the tone is extremely optimistic. It's not for everyone, but it's a good series.

Did I say epic? Actually an understatement.This manga is breathtaking! It is very much like BASARA or actually very different (don't know why I keep comparing them, maybe cause they both started at early 90's) unlike the latter, From Far was is super cliche What Basara lacks, this one makes up for it. Art!
Izark x Noriko, love you guys. It's about their journey in the cruel world which is in another dimension. Fantasy shoujo at it's best! It's super cliche and predictable but gripping and intense nonetheless. Noriko will be sent to a parallel world where it is predicted that she is the awakening who will awaken the most powerful being, the sky demon. Izark will be waiting to destroy it but will be surprised to find that the awakening is a helpless teenage girl. So begins their journey together. Their relationship is honest and pure. Great piece of work. Since this was one of the first manga I ever read, I'm extremely partial and attached to it.

The heroin, Noriko is a normal teenage girl with no special powers and mostly relies on Izark unlike Basara where the female lead is a worrier princess Basara's plot is mindblowing whereas From Far way is relatively simple. Another manga I'd like to compare it with is the Queen's Knight. Well, it's a recommendation if you liked this series. Trust me, you will.

Strong and handsome Izark, cute and innocent Noriko and fantabulous art is what makes this series epic.
RECOMMENDED.

... Last updated on July 23rd, 2012, 11:36am

Indeed, it's a good manga. And I was all for it for seven volumes, and then ... suddenly, in the middle of volume eight, I just didn't want to read any more. It was extremely painful to read just one single chapter.

It's not because the story got especially bad at that point. I just felt that I knew what this ride was gonna be about. I felt utterly exhausted, and I know I should give this a chance... But honestly, after reading so much manga, I'm not that patient with stuff that doesn't do anything for me anymore. Kind of feeling a bit awkward for being almost alone at rating this so low. Maybe fantasy shoujo really isn't my thing, because the same thing happened to me while reading Basara.

Even if I've dropped this in the middle, I can still tell that it's a good fantasy shoujo manga. So I won't drop my rating unreasonably much. It's worth giving a try.

... Last updated on July 18th, 2012, 10:03am

I've reread this about 5 times already and I will probably reread it again when I find I have nothing else to read! I love this manga and it never gets old. Sure it's super cliche but it's done in such a cute and awesome way. Wish the mangaka would do a sequel of this like she did some of her other works! >_<

For fans of Immortal Rain, InuYasha, and Red River; I highly suggest this one. The main herione is not annoying, but although a little bland she does just fine. Good fantasy elements, and enough angst without going overboard. Yes it can be cheesy, bit is this not of the shoujo genre? It is to be expected.

... Last updated on May 10th, 2012, 7:26pm

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

It's okay. It's just so cheesy and positive to the extent of making the story a bit unrealistic, in my opinion. All about Light vs. Dark. It's really predictable at some times too...

...Maybe it's just cause I'm a bit of a realist/pessimist.

This manga is extremely cute, light and fluffy and I can understand why it is so loved! I enjoyed leisurely reading each page, and though I did not find it an extremely amazing story that is a must read, I did enjoy the story even if it was a bit overdone.

Plot- Save the world… in a down toned kind of way. Noriko is whisked suddenly away (in a very strange turn of events… terrorists? Huh?) to a different world, and there she will discover that she is the fabled Awakening who will arouse the fearsome Sky Demon who is said to hold great evil that could destroy the world. Well, the plot does deepen more than just Noriko’s struggle, we are introduced to the world and its struggles. Corruption is EVERYWHERE and Noriko is quickly, through her own gentle spirit and desire to help others, caught up in many people’s troubles. The plot is well paced out and the many weaving thread of story entwine nicely into an enjoyable story. However the plot is a little cheesy are times, a bit overdramatic and drawing out a little chuckle at times and sometimes it seems that some random stuff happens. While these random events fit into the plot and add to the story they could have been fit in better and hinted at more, instead of appearing suddenly. The plot is still very nice and though not very original it still manages to please.

Characters- Noriko and Izark are just too cute! Pretty typical characters they still manage to hold their own charms and one can’t help but love them and root for them! There is quite an ensemble of characters, not to many to confuse but just enough to make the world lifelike and realistic with its many inhabitants. The villains can be called villains, the heroes or just that. There are really no inward struggles between characters except for the Awakening and the Sky Demon who have ‘an evil within’. Everything is pretty clean cut but perhaps that’s what makes the characters so fresh and enjoyable, there are no real complications, everyone is working to help each other and that’s quite refreshing to see.

Art- The art is… old, very shoujo at times (sparkles and big eyes and tears) and while I did not consider the most beautiful art it was not that bad either, it told the story well enough and it was quite good.

Other- This story is cheesy, as I said before, especially the ending. Anyway! Overall I enjoyed the story, but did not find it anything special; nothing really stood out and made this manga special. Do I recommend it? I’m not quite sure; it if intrigues out then yes read it, if the premise doesn’t really appeal to you then you’re probably shouldn’t waste your time on reading it and find something more appealing.

8/10- Was Good

Let me start off by saying that the first work of this mangaka that I read was Miriam. So as far as heroines go, I wasn't expecting anything better than Miriam.
Besides that, I wasn't disappointed. Yes, it was ridiculously cheesy and was chock-full of the supernatural cliches, but it was a shoujo cliche done right. The "realistic" aspect of her actually having to learn the language was just amazing, and the way the author had her assimilate to the culture was natural, as if the readers became her and were undergoing the assimilation process as well.
Because it follows the guidelines of the shoujo supernatural, you automatically have the good versus evil. Not particularly surprising. But how the mangaka executes this is clean, not overly crowded with characters, and a intriguing-enough plot.
As for the ending, I thought it was exactly what I would expect from a cliche supernatural story. I wasn't quite expecting anything more than that.

By the way, one of the most annoying things about this manga is that it's incredibly difficult to start in the middle. Because there aren't really any fillers and there are new characters that help propel the plot forward every arc, you will end up very, very confused if you do. So if you have say, 5 hours to spare on a day, take that time and read this through from the beginning to the end. The sappiness will make you laugh as much as I did, or at least make you smile.