... just how amazing this manga is. I nearly cried when it ended because I loved it so much.

Art:
Old fashioned, but soooooo impressive and awesome. It added to the rustic, intense feeling of the manga. There were a few pages where it was a little iffy as to what the mangaka was trying to draw
but it was pretty even and clean throughout. She was really consistent but added changes to the characters as the story progressed. From the beginning to the end, I estimate that Noriko was in their world for about two to three years, and it showed in her hair length and the way she carried herself, and in the faces and statures of those around her. All the fight scenes were well done and intense. 10/10

Characters:
Gah, where do I begin? All of the characters were great, including the bad guys. I loved how All the characters were well-developed by the end, especially Noriko and Izark. Normally you don't see many changes in the main characters in mangas like this, but Noriko and Izark underwent many trials and grew from them instead of acting like they never happened. All the side characters existed for a purpose and had their own stories, but it never got confusing for me. 10/10 for everyone, including the bad guys and the nameless characters.

Story:
This manga left a very deep impression on me. For example, the whole bit about This entire story was deep and meaningful, but still very intriguing and worth the length. I've seen some people complaining about how long it is, which is understandable, but every single one of the 14 volumes was worth reading and rarely was any of it boring. I don't feel that this is a waste of time in the least, long or no. I love love LOVE "From Far Away." <3 At the end, everything was resolved, in this world and in theirs Oh, and it was great how Noriko had to LEARN their language instead of just knowing it upon entering their world. You don't see that often, and it just made the story perfect and maybe a tad realistic, like how Noriko grew stronger after the first few volumes both physically and emotionally. You don't see her crying much unless something happens to Izark, which was awesome. (IZARK AND NORIKO'S LOVE STORY IS SO CUTE, but I liked how it wasn't the entire focus of the plot. There were also politics, war, and the whole Awakening/Sky Demon thing to round out the story.) I also love how the story makes a complete circle in all their travels and you meet characters in the epilogue that you met in the very first volume. It was really great. 10/10, absolutely. This is one of the of the best resolved and written mangas I've ever read, and I've read A LOT of manga.

All in all, this manga is a must-read. I loved it so much that I literally hugged my computer after finishing it just so I could express that emotion. You will not regret reading this manga, I promise you. I don't, and I never will. I have a feeling that I will be rereading this manga many times in my life, that's how much I adored it. Please, give it a chance. The first volume is a little meh, but after Noriko learns their language and some villains start getting introduced, it gets much better. I love this manga, and you most likely will, too.

At first, I thought it was just another silly fantasy where some fluff girl ends up in another world and instantly falls in love with some handsome warrior--which isn't necessarily bad, but boring--and it actually seemed to start out that way, and with a slightly outdated looking art style to boot. But that was me being prejudiced about older manga and typical shoujo heroines, and boy did this one show me. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. In many ways. The art does start out in an older style but the quality of the drawings and impressions of movement and perspective and variety of characters is outstanding (and that's coming from a picky art major). The romance and main characters seem typical at first but the way their personalities are carried out in story feels fresh and genuine and sweet (I love Izark!! And Noriko really grows on you. She reminds me of Tohru from Fruits Basket) And it's not just the romance. There's great action, mystery, the fantasy world is well thought out and has its own geography and politics (but doesn't get bogged down by it) and the huge amount of characters don't get confusing because the author did such a great job of distinguishing them and giving them all unique and loveable personalities (you even kind of feel for the bad guys, even those you hate for being the jerks they are). She also didn't fall into the common trap of making all the good characters look beautiful. People of all faces can be good guys.

It was sweet, scary, suspenseful, fun, and all around AWESOME. It's got all the things I love in the perfect combination. I really want to own this series now. XD

Awesome shit. This is too awesome! It's so awesome that I don't even know what to say! The characters are superb, the storyline is awesome, the art...well okay, the art was just decent but, nevertheless, it can never stop me from reading this awesome piece of work! Noriko is definitely not your typical shoujo girl, she's pretty strong and adding her with Izark and the story makes the story seems very perfect!! You should really read this! It doesn't matter if you aren't a fan of Sci-Fi, just read this because of the storyline!! Who cares about genres when there's a good storyline right in front of your eyes?!

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.

the story is great, the characters are great, and the character growth is just amazing.
normally, in a fantasy story the main girl has something special or develops/gains some special power but in this one she doesnt, and it feels refreshing to read it
it is a MUST READ

I always ignored this manga but then I gave it a chance and I was Surprise
I have just complete reading it, I started reading it yesterday and I completed 10 volumes of it and today I read the rest of the volumes.
so you can Imagine how interesting it was, this manga was unlike most of the other manga who tend to be boring in some parts of it.
I really like the feeling I had with this manga Happy,Sad,Anger,Guilty,Fear,Forgiveness,and most of all Love.
I rarely put a comment put I swear if I would complete this manga I would put one so you can say that this manga is one of the very best, even thought I am always concern about the art but this one's art didn't annoy me even thought this one has released before I even was born.
One More Word Read It To Understand What I say Just Give It A Chance

I enjoyed this manga very much. If anything I would of enjoyed more of it. But as it was it told the story at a nice brisk pace leaving no room for unnecessary drama. I enjoyed the Heroine in this story a lot. She was a fish out of water in this new world she found herself in, but she did her best to adapt and to focus on the things that she could change. A good message for everyone.

The love story was beautifully written without being horribly sappy. The story was a little black and white, Light VS. Darkness no room for gray in this story. But it was part of it's charm and it's a happy end and that's all right with me.

A story I had trouble finding any faults in.

The romance was good but not overbearing, the main character was weak but competent, and the story line was pretty interesting. It was consistent, it didn't drag out too long and it wasn't too short. It may be categorized as shoujo, but it's not mushy, drama-filled and annoying. Sometimes the dialogue got a bit boring, but that was only after my third time reading the series.

Overall, it was good. Not great, but you can tell that it's one of those mangas that a lot of other mangakas took ideas from. It was an original and I enjoyed it.

... Last updated on May 14th, 2013, 5:18pm

This is easily one of my favorite shoujo mangas. I can't even remember how many times I've reread this, and I'm sure I'm going to reread it again in the future.

What I really loved about this manga is the main character. Noriko is the only female lead so far in all the action/adventure manga that I've read that I loved despite being a powerless heroine. Yes, she can't do anything fighting-wise, but her emotional strength is amazing. It's not that she isn't scared--she is, but she still finds the courage to not give in. She isn't reckless either. She knows she's weak and accepts it, and just does what she can to the best of her abilities. For example, one of my favorite scenes:



The fight with the Big Bad ended a little too easily for me, but I guess the focus of this story is the journey to finding the light.

If you like light & fluffy fantasy stories with solid, well-developed characters, and a heartwarming romance, this is the manga to read.

... Last updated on September 16th, 2012, 1:10am

I wasn't exactly reading this for the fantasy, and the awesome action, but I have to give that shoujo mangaka credit for being so creative with her demons and etc.

I loved the couple Noriko & Izark. I found Izark's personality cute, and it wasn't a really 'cliche' one either. Noriko was just...what you'd expect from an optimistic, kind and brave girl in a fantastical world. Sounds sort of Mary Sue-ish, eh? Never the less, the characters were likeable.

The plot...was not that interesting to me. I'll admit I might've skimmed through a chapter or two of Izark and his rival's epic must-not-miss battles. Well, the plot was fine and all- I personally thought the ending was a really good wrap up.

For the most part, characters were cute, the story was okay, and the art was just classical. Overall, I think I enjoyed this manga; but 14 volumes of this fantastical story is way too exhausting for me to re-read.

It certainly is a shoujo type you can't find too often these days, isn't it?

... Last updated on August 30th, 2012, 10:24pm