Kanata kara

Noriko, a typical Japanese high school student, unexpectedly finds herself amidst a terrorist bombing that transports her to a bizarre sea filled with gigantic trees, insects, and dragons. A mysterious man named Izark, possessing seemingly superhuman strength, rescues her from monstrous worms. Now, Noriko is the focal point of a grand hunt as "The Awakening," holding the power to unleash a mythical sky demon. "From Far Away" played a pivotal role in establishing many of the tropes central to modern isekai before the genre was inundated with low-quality, repetitive stories. Although these tropes have been seen before and will be seen again, the story stands out due to its early execution of these elements before they became ubiquitous in Japanese media.

Despite the excellent plot twists in the first two-thirds of the narrative, "From Far Away" falters towards the end with a weak plot and poorly developed characters. Though not a short series, it introduces an overwhelming number of characters, leaving little room for us to connect deeply with them. The entire story revolves around Noriko and Izark, a dynamic that starts impressively by addressing the language barrier Noriko faces in the new world and how she gradually overcomes it. The potential awakening of an almost omnipotent demon adds an intriguing twist, suggesting moral ambiguity surrounding a character we relate to potentially causing great evil. However, this promising setup concludes with lazy storytelling pitting extreme good against evil, abandoning earlier hints at more nuanced morality. Instead of a morally complex ending, the villains are uninspired and comically bad, reducing the conflict to a simplistic light versus darkness scenario.

We also receive minimal insight into Noriko's life back home, despite the emotional pain she must feel from leaving everyone behind. This aspect is only sporadically reintroduced as a plot device but never adequately explored.

That said, it's easy to judge "From Far Away" by today's standards, where these tropes weren't as commonplace. The majority of the series features good execution and compelling plot twists that still hold up today. Nevertheless, the unsatisfactory ending and plethora of underdeveloped characters drag the overall story down to barely above average.

In terms of art, it surpasses the average shoujo style of its time, with Izark's design being particularly well-crafted. While there are similarities between Izark and other characters, many supporting characters boast superior designs compared to the norms of that era. Ultimately, recommending this series today is challenging. Not all classics withstand the test of time, and "From Far Away" seems to have barely excelled even during its original release.

This is a Hidden Gem!!

I stumbled on this manga when I was trying to find a similar storyline to Red River. I didn't have any expectations...but WOW did it become addicting.

The best thing about this manga are the characters, characters, and well...CHARACTERS!! XD I fell in love with the Hero and Heroine. I totally expected Noriko to become totally dependent and emotional about being stuck in a different world like some heroines become! NOT Noriko!! And that's why I Love her! She sucks it up, learns the language, and does her own thing!! Izark is the guy any girl would want to have if such a thing happened to her!! He is stoic, warrior, and strategist. But also has a softer side to him. **Did I mention good-looking?? ;)** Together they make one heck of a team!!

The plot just added to the growing relationship between Izark and Noriko. He has a hard time trusting people but slowly Noriko is able to break all of his fears and doubts! This is just my opinion but I LOVE this manga. I'm surprised that there were such few reviews so I had to make one!!

>OVERALL 10, 10, 10!!! (WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING HIGHER!! XD)