[From Far Away] or Kanata Kara was first published in 1991.
It is almost as old as I am. It is older than some of y'all reading this. It is also an anime now, currently running as part of 2026's wave of classic Otome Isekai titles being animated for a modern audience. It is one of the OGs of the Isekai genre as a whole and Otome Isekai subgenre in particular, and one of the most famous shoujo titles during the era.
Bow down. Bow. Down.
Content Warning: There will be spoilers for the general plot. Anime watchers beware. ALSO, one of a scene in the manga is heavily SA-coded, and I will detail that in spoilers down below.
Tl;dr:Â An OG in all forms, a solid narrative with great protagonists, competent villains, and excellent storytelling that pushes the main characters to grow beyond their initial archetypes. While some of the values is outdated, a surprising amount of them aren't, and the story still stands up by itself even when compared to newer stories.
Recommended if you like good adventure stories (especially one full of acrobatic stunts), a sweet and heartfelt romance. If you like well-written female main characters in general and sweet yet resilient female main characters in particular. If you like long-haired MLs, effective villains, and diverse body types and facial features. Lastly, if you want good stories regardless of publishing date and art style.
Not recommended if you hate classic shoujo art style, if you want your Dukes of the North emotionally constipated and brooding forever, if you want drama and misunderstanding and angst in your romance, and if you like your fiction 100% woke.
Where do I start, I wonder...
Maybe with a simple statement: this is a long, LONG yap. I'm pretty sure this is THE longest review I've made in a long while. If anyone still wants to snark about the length... Go ahead, I welcome the engagement. But don't say I haven't warned you.
And then a second statement: this story is timeless.
Amongst the shoujo mangakas of the 90s, I think Hikawa Kyouko is less of a household name compared to powerhouses like CLAMP ([Magic Knight Rayearth], amongst hundred other titles), Takeuchi Naoko (Sailor Moon), Shinohara Chie ([Red River]), or Watase Yuu ([Fushigi Yuugi]).
Nevertheless, she IS a famed shoujo mangaka, with excellent long-running stories like [Miriam] or [Chizuru and Fujiomi] amongst her oeuvre. And with [From Far Away] or Kanata Kara, she is going above and beyond, leaving her comfort zone of lighthearted romance and mundane real-life setting to dabble in an isekai adventure-romance.
And she does all that while retaining her typical brand of earnest optimism, sweet yet grounded.
As usual, I'll say my disclaimer that I still cannot call myself well-read. But I have read my fair share of Otome Isekai, so I was about to start with quoting my review of [The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent]. Something like;
Not only has this manga shaped the entire genre, it is also one of the main baselines with which a significant majority of modern otome isekai are graded against...That means a lot of its tropes and concepts have also been adapted, adopted, subverted, deconstructed, played with, laughed at, all that jazz. You will not find anything unique or original or groundbreaking here.
But no. I was wrong. There's actually a solid reason why Japan chose NOW to adapt this into anime.
Similar to the other OGs like [Magic Knight Rayearth] and [Inuyasha] later on, [From Far Away] frames itself as an adventure story, one inspired by shonen isekais and portal fantasy stories. This makes the story VERY versatile and approachable for modern fandom. On top of that, [From Far Away] has a lot less melodrama compared to its shoujo peers. Hikawa Kyouko's delicate storytelling makes the shoujo elements of the narrative subtle and grounded, manifesting only in a higher ratio of human moments; romance, friendship, self-introspection, and just interaction between characters in general.
Furthermore, the craftsmanship is solid as hell. Hikawa Kyouko has a masterful control of pacing and plot structure, keeping the tension and buildup in tight leash to ensure that the story never feels too heavy or too light at any moment. Every major plot developments are always followed up by quiet moments, and every peaceful story arcs will be woven into the greater plot sooner or later.
Her art then boosts the storytelling, carefully using her shoujo sensibilities to boost the storytelling. While yes, the facial features look dated, the character designs are distinct, diverse, and unique. And while her detailing leans more to the lighter side, she makes up for it with her brilliant use of lighting and empty spaces.
When the story dives into action and conflict she also goes all in--heck, I'd even say the sequences are legitimately GOOD, filling in the obvious lack of SFX brushes and 3D assets with a dynamic flow, great paneling, and good use of angles. There's tons of acrobatic moves and nail-biting actions. It's flashy, it's dynamic, and it's worth being placed together with similar OGs like [Inuyasha], [Fushigi Yuugi], or [Magic Knight Rayearth].
And the finer aspects of the writing feel surprisingly modern for a story over 30 years old.
As a segue, I think it's fair to say that OI and RoFan is by now an established industry, with hundreds if not thousands of stories running in various formats and countries and platforms. There's an established system, a formula, and as much as [From Far Away] helped create that formula whether intentionally or otherwise, it also defies them.
Yes, the narrative is conventional, with conventional characters playing out conventional roles in a conventional way for a conventional message, but some of the fundamentals of its writing are unconventional.
Like,
How many OI stories are set in a fantasy land inspired by nomadic cultures, the Middle East, and Ottoman Empire?
How many OI stories has characters like Zena and Gaya; older, heavy set women with atypical facial features who are also important side characters that are VERY competent in what they do (with Gaya in particular being one of the best fighters in the entire cast) and ALSO not treated as a joke in any way?
Heck, for manga readers, how many OI stories starts with a package bomb?
On top of all that, the story also features things like a plethora of female characters in major roles, each of them fleshed out characters and not just a satellite for the main characters. There are also an abundance of female friendship, as well as a vast amount of body and facial diversity amongst the cast.
...Things that should have been a norm by now, but sadly isn't. Especially when you compare it with the generic Otome Isekais out there, stories that can be VERY conservative in how they present characters and relationship dynamics.
Is it like, all woke? Not at all. For a story this visibly non-European, the cast is painfully fair-skinned. This goes doubly awkward for, again, Zena and Gaya, whose features lean dangerously close to being offensive caricatures of black women. And while the story doesn't lack important female characters on the side of good; there is only one villainess in the cast and she is of course, sexual and ambitious.
But still, these are tropes you can still see in modern stories, and [From Far Away] never treats these characters as a joke in any way. They are competent characters, nuanced and fleshed out, and after rereading this series yesterday, I can say that the narrative is very compassionate, never openly mocking or laughing at those who exist outside its conventional boundaries.
(Feel free to disagree, but for me, the fact that a story older than 30 years old are still comparable to modern stories is pretty much a good sign for [From Far Away])
So yeah, there is a reason why it takes 30 years before [From Far Away] is made into an anime. The narrative is timeless AND versatile; it has plenty of action moments without being defined by it, the romance is lighthearted without being saccharine or shallow, and everything ends up so well-rounded that they actually end up timeless AND versatile.
An appropriate offering for the modern fandom, with their less segmented tastes and preferences.
.....
.....No, I am not done. I'm sorry.
A repeat of my earlier statement: this is a long, LONG yap. I'm pretty sure this is THE longest review I've made in a long while.
Now, allow me to talk about the characters, because they are quite easily my favorite part of the story. The main characters in particular start of familiar, for sure, progenitors of modern shoujo archetype, but DAMN the execution takes it into refreshing, layered depths. They can stand amongst the best of the entire otome genre, and compared it to the oft-generic OI? They don't stand a chance, really.
Tachiki Noriko, the MC, starts off as a sweet and earnest everygirl; occasionally absent-minded, for sure, but sincere and well-meant with practically no bad bone in her body. When I think of the platonic ideal for 'typical Hikawa Kyouko heroine' and 'classic retro shoujo manga sweetheart', I think of her (if not the eponymous Chizuru from the [Chizuru and Fujiomi] series).
Meanwhile, Izaku / Izark, the ML, is a time capsule on how different romance conventions used to be back then compared to right now. For modern readers he is a proto-Duke of the North. For older readers he shares a significant amount of DNA with Byronic heroes of yore. He is a Tall, Dark, and Emotionless warrior with an expressionless face and a dark secret. He is pragmatic. He is competent. He also possesses beautiful locks of black hair that, spoiler alert, never got cut short until the end. And he keeps Noriko at arm's length but starts getting attached after the heroine accepts him for who he is.
Daring today, are we?
...But see, both description only applies for like, the first 3 volumes.
Because unlike so many modern isekai, [From Far Away] refuses to indulge in cheap power fantasies. The challenges and obstacles thrown by the narrative feel genuinely dangerous and threatening.
Throughout the story, Izark's life is threatened almost as often as a shonen protagonist, while Noriko doesn't even get an automatic translator when she first arrived in the other world. Her studying about the world and the language IS an important plot point for at least a third of the story. And her Chosen One status, well, here it feels more like a stigmata than a cheat skill; some kind of cursed label that brings ALL the problems in the narrative around her.
Noriko and Izark struggle and suffer; and as a result, they grow and change. And the narrative treats them as individuals first, characters second. Their development defies the modern romance's annoying tendency to restrict character growth around their initial archetype.
Noriko starts off a bit of an absentminded ditz, and when the adventure starts she gets overwhelmed and panicking. Throughout the narrative she often ends up in constant danger and needing to be rescued, and I genuinely can't say there is any point in the story where she is in a position of dominance.
Yet the same time, the narrative also doesn't write her as a passive damsel in distress.
Noriko has no OP skill or physical prowess, but she is not weak. She feels shock and distress and pain, an appropriate reaction for a young highschool student in life-threatening situations, but she doesn't let it drown her for long. She proactively TRIES, however much a normal high school student can try without any OP cheat skills or past life knowledge.
She is absent-minded, but she is not stupid. She has the sound mind to sit back when her presence is more of a disadvantage, but also the courage to take risks when she knows she has to act. And when she acts, she is wise enough to take account of her situation and plans accordingly.
I truly, unabashedly LOVE her. Noriko is firmly a good example of the idea that a strong OI heroine is not limited to those who can kick ass and take names. In terms of resilience, persistence, and how much she grows from start to end, I can put Noriko amongst characters like Shuri from [A Stepmother's Marchen] and Ailette Rodeline from [Perks of a S-Class Heroine]; the belles of the ball.
In comparison, Izark...is interesting.
Unlike modern OI stories, the narrative doesn't want Izark to be the ultimate Duke of the North. The plot pushes Izark beyond his archetype to the point that once a certain point in the narrative has passed, Izark starts becoming warmer and more playful not just to Noriko but also to EVERYONE. It wants Izark to let go of his stoicism and isolation.
Not gonna lie, we can probably use him as an example of how different generations perceive traits like introversion and isolation in a man...
...But for now I'll just say that Izark's character progression is unique for the genre at this point.
And together, their relationships are also very enjoyable to read.
Once again, the narrative's careful writing also plays out here, resulting in a dynamic that FEELS egalitarian. While Izark always rescues Noriko, yes, it is never presented as some sort of obligation or 'protect the fairer sex' kind of chivalry. Izark protects Noriko because he cares for her and she tries in her own way to do the same.
I also appreciate that Hikawa Kyouko rarely drags out her romantic entanglements for the sake of drama. Noriko and Izark's yearning towards each other do serve as a narrative pull, but the narrative knows that getting together is only half the battle. Obstacles do exist, including a love rival, but none of them gets dragged out for long. Their relationships evolves steadily, naturally, and aside from one VERY reasonable moment of separation early on, it is also free from needless misunderstandings.
Once the yearning is resolved, their bonds immediately switch to become a narrative anchor; an element of stability to support the rising tension and more character growth for them.
And that's a very good decision, because when the narrative gets heavy, they get REALLY heavy and the stakes feel VERY real.
Again, the story eschews the typical power fantasies that we'd often see in modern Isekai stories. That directly affects the villains. While they are pretty meh if we compare things outside OI genre, but amongst the horde of generic OI villains who exists only to be stepping stones to show how cool the protagonists are, the villains of [From Far Away] are VERY well-done. Even the weakest of them feel very menacing and threatening, and the strongest of them repeatedly got the upper hands over both Izark and Noriko. The obstacles and challenges presented in the plot are genuine threats that at times does inflict actual physical and emotional damage.
There is even a moment that genuinely needs a content warning:
One moment between Noriko and the main villain is heavily SA-coded, featuring the villain pinning Noriko from above, threatening her, and later chopping her hair with a knife when Noriko struggles and resists. Both the narrative AND the characters treat this moment as an assault, with a weakened Noriko hiding herself in shame and Izark breaking down in tears over it.
It was a good escalation, but it still feels VERY jarring, especially if you only know Hikawa Kyouko from her sweet and lighthearted romance.
Because of this, I'm also a bit quirking my eyes at how they treat the main villain. I won't say exactly how to maintain minimum spoiler, but suffice it to say it feels a bit too generous after what he's done.
The side characters are the ones I have least amount of things to say. Not because they're bad; more because they fulfill their roles competently. The story features a lot of them, and the narrative masterfully weaves them back and forth between arcs so that they all get important roles without feeling too crowded OR underdeveloped. Their characters feel distinct, and once again I enjoy that they have their own goals beyond simply existing for Noriko and Izark. The interplay of needs, urgency, and generosity play out warmly throughout the narrative, and in the end our main characters are helped by the side characters as much as the opposite also happens.
I pray dearly that the anime will be able to capture the magic in the manga. Not gonna lie, I read all 14 volumes in a single read. The writing is enrapturing, the sweetness abundant, and every now and then the narrative breathes easy, letting me process what is happening without taking my eyes away from the pages.
When the title finally drops, I admit I almost wept.
