I didn't comment on this series for quite a while after I read it. I didn't really know what I could say.
This is one of those mangas that if you re-read you have to start from the beginning and work your way through to the end. It introduces you to a host of characters (but even so it doesn't get confusing) that all have different roles and are all important to the plot. Not knowing who they are or where their allegence lies would make the whole thing muddled.
Usually I don't re-read things like this. The mangas I "re-read" are the ones that are either short, or have parts in them that I love. In the latter case I skip to those parts and forget the rest. After I finished From Far Away I thought to myself, it's a good read but I won't re-read it. It'll take too much effort. Now I am, and I think that says what I think of this manga.

... Last updated on November 17th, 2011, 8:43am

I sobbed at the end.. it was an amazingly emotional manga (in a good way). I love subtle romance stories and non-MarySue female leads. Noriko is cute, charming, and all-around loveable. The romantic relationship between her and Izark just seems realistic.
To be honest, this manga is far better than Fushigi Yuugi and Red River (even though I didn't mind Red River that much).

I love this series. What i like most is the emotion displayed. It's a little cheesy but the emotions are very well written. Plus the characters are developed awesomely. They are lovable, funny, and well rounded.
I really liked noriko. she is very strong emotionally. She was always positive and determined to do something useful. She was a breath of fresh air and i just loved her and izark together.

The story is also enjoyable. Its exciting and fun. It's not one that requires a lot of thought. Perfect light read where you just want a good story with characters you can root for.

... Last updated on August 9th, 2014, 4:36pm

This was an wonderful manga! I LOVED it! What I loved about it was basically everything. The artwork was beautiful! The characters where realistic, likable and there growth as individuals was evident. The plot wasn't completly original but it was complex but easy to understand and very gripping. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down.

As for characters, Noriko was so cute! She was a very strong, independent (in some ways) and though she cried she didn't stay sad for long. I like how when Noriko came to the new land she had to learn there language which I have never seen in a manga.

Izark was very attractive. He wasn't as moppy as I thought he would be. I thought he grew the most as a character from being emotionless and cold to being an open hearted, emotional, and caring man.

It was very cute how Izark needed Noriko and visversa. They grew as characters and felt like real people. The romance was evident but I kind of wanted more kiss scenes but oh well.

I give this manga a big fat 10!

If you're looking for a manga that is pure romance, this is certainly not for you.
But if you're looking for something profound and sensible, this manga is strongly recommended. =))
I love the developments in their characters. This will give you pieces of advice on how to deal with life.
Although, I was expecting a better ending for some characters in the story, I was still satisfied.
Great read =)

P.S. this manga reminds me of "LOVE MONSTER"

Well.. i never really planned on reading this manga because i'm really picky when it comes to art but the art for this manga wasn't that old and improved quite a bit in the later volumes. First of all, the story was AMAZING as in one of the best i've read! I mean, it's pretty obvious how good this manga is just by the ratings but wow.. I'm so glad i decided to read it! The characters in this manga are absolutely captivating and strong. You can really see the character development throughout each volume as every character becomes stronger not only physically but also emotionally as well as spiritually. YES there is romance and YES a lot of it (most adventure/action manga's don't have enough right). Although sometimes it would be a bit cliche in my perspective but nevertheless, all 14 volumes were filled with so much adventure, emotions, actions and well.. you'll never get bored and it leaves you wanting more. The ending was very well done also but i won't comment too much on that since i wouldn't wanna spoil it .
I'm kinda sad it's over but this is definitely an unforgettable manga.
10/10!

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

This is the most amazing and enjoyable manga I have ever read. It has a perfect blend of action, romance, and a dynamic plot, that really sucked me in. It is unique, and once I started reading it, I could not put it down. I read the whole thing in two sittings, and I am so glad to have picked it up. This is a must-read for anyone who can appreciate a good manga!

Full disclosure: I do not really read or even like shoujo. What can I say? However, I just really enjoyed Kanata Kara! It has something that keeps me coming back, year after year, to re-read. It's true, the plot has been done before, but the mangaka really develops her characters, which made me want to read more. (and again and again) I liked how Noriko had to figure out the language (most other stories of this type have the character understand the language). But Noriko had to learn the language and the culture. And she didn't do it instantly, either. It took some time. Izark was such an enigma but at the same time such a nice guy. It is a big plus in that the characters all had some sort of weakness that they had to overcome. Things do not come easily for them. The mangaka manages to bring across some very complicated ideas of life and love in a way that is fresh and very engaging.
after consideration, I'm giving this one a 10 out of 10, because it is such a 'complete' story. Of course the reader will wonder what happens after the story ends, but the mangaka tied up all the story lines giving it a completed feel. There are no loose ends for the reader to deal with.

This is in my top ten manga list, and I notice I keep re-reading it. It sits on my bookshelf surrounded by yaoi, and this often gets a laugh from friends. However, I'm not kidding when I say it has that certain something, je ne sais quoi.

... Last updated on August 20th, 2016, 2:08pm

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