greetings from really really far away

Not pictured: action and adventure and character development

oh god Noriko and Izark are so fucking kawaii holy hell kawaii-est thing I've seen all day. Toteimo kawaii.

So I'm reading Kanata Kara because I'm a sucker for retro manga about girls who drop through time and space because they're the chosen ones. But unlike Red River she doesn't understand the language right away, which makes it all the more interesting. And all the more cuter. Ohmygod those two are just so precious. "Good job honey?" Hnnng. & Like in Red River Noriko is a strength and weakness for Izark. Whether you're a king of a vast and powerful empire or you have an ancient and destructive demon inside you, you have to be careful with weaknesses. They actually bothered to address the fact that Noriko can't handle Izark carrying her at high speeds because humans aren't equipped to deal with that kind of velocity. Science.

And in Red River Yuri gets real awesome real fast, but here Noriko's seen by everybody as an ordinary girl. (Until the whole moonstone thing, and then that's what I call an awakening) She cries a lot, but she's cute and caring and brave. She trips and falls but gets right back up and she doesn't waste time doing what she can to help, like learning the language. "Now I know I can find the right things without getting impatient and without pushing too hard. I need to relax and take things one step at a time." She just seems like the kind of airheaded clumsy girl that screams moe, especially with her adorable shorter hair. And she definitely invokes the protective instinct in this guy she just meets who happened to be there to kill here. So yeah moe moe kyun. And Izark as the older, less naive figure is just so adorable as he's figuring out his feelings for her. 

Of course when Noriko does figure her feelings out, its a moment of cooldown hugging kissing. But oh gosh they're so cute they make up half of Japan's GNP that's how cute they are. The cutest love triangle with the other guy going after her and Izark trying to deal with it and Noriko being the more adorable dense ball of fluff ever. Usually I don't like the airheaded moe types but Noriko's just such a cute bunny I want to hug her. I really like her attitude towards life. And I also like how her hair slowly grows out, it's a nice touch. (And when she gets another important haircut towards the end!) She's growing up little by little too, like when she said she wouldn't spend all her time worrying about if Izarak loves her because she might miss the little things. "I don't need to wonder whether he loves me or not. I need to just be who I am, to keep myself together and try to be the best person I can be, and spend my time more productively." That's one of the most sensible things I've heard in a shoujo! It's what I love most about Noriko, her ability to stay brave and be sensible instead of crying and moaning over it for ages. She stands right back up, even if she is scared. 
And Izark angsting over his feelings gives me all the feels. Oh those tall dark warrior types who may be incredible fighters but are so adorably conflicted when it comes to love. UNF THESE TWO.
More cooldown hugs! Justified more that she's the Awakening so it makes more sense for her to be able to do that. But I liked the way they had him going into his demonic transformation, slowly forgetting the reason for him coming here. Earthly attachments. And that gorgeous bit where she finds out about her being the Awakening and Izark the Sky Demon and he confessed to her and they leave Gaya and the others. Siiigh....feels...(and DOOMSDAY FEELS TOO goddamnit)

And the ending! The diary was such a Chekov's gun! You'd think by now they'd have lost a flimsy notebook and pen. And TITLE DROP. I really liked this series! It had decent art, and I bet Noriko was the moe-blob of her time. She was a little miss determinator and never gave up even if she was scared and insecure. Izark was the flustered handsome hnng worthy warrior finding his true self. It has some of my favorite shoujo manga tropes and characterization, and it's the kind of series which light triumphs over darkness, the villains get redeemed, and it ends in happy ever afters for everyone. Noriko finds a way to come into herself as a hero by doing what she can and staying true to herself. Izark finds companionship and love and discovers the light inside. It's idealistic and powered by love and friendship, but it's not over the top sugary. Everything about it is cute without being pink, and the ending & epilogue wraps up everyone including a rather nice nod to her old world. It's a sweet manga full of adventure and fantasy that leaves you feeling warm, fuzzy and full of cute.

 "He told me I could do a lot just by being who I am. If I can do important things and be who I am...I should do those things first before trying to change."