Thirty-five years after the first chapter appeared in LaLa magazine, the TV anime adaptation of Kyoko Hikawa’s landmark shōjo manga From Far Away (彼方から, Kanata Kara) is officially real. A teaser promotional video released today alongside the full voice cast and a confirmed October 4 premiere — and for anyone who grew up on the Viz Media English volumes, this one lands a little differently.
A Shōjo Classic That Earned Its Reputation the Hard Way
From Far Away ran in Hakusensha’s LaLa magazine from September 1991 through October 2002, collected into 14 tankōbon volumes. The setup reads deceptively simply: ordinary high schooler Noriko is hurled into a parallel fantasy world and lands near Izark, a formidable young warrior carrying a curse-like destiny. What made the series stand out — and what kept it in readers’ memories long after it ended — is that Noriko arrives unable to speak or understand a single word of the local language. Communication is earned, not handed over. Meanwhile, an ancient prophecy frames her arrival as the trigger for an unstoppable catastrophe.
The series won the 35th Seiun Award for best science fiction comic in 2004 and surpassed four million copies in circulation. Hakusensha licensed the English release to Viz Media, which published all 14 volumes between November 2004 and January 2007 — which means Singapore’s manga community had a very clean window to read it. If you never got around to it, there is now a deadline.
The Teaser PV, Cast and Production Team
Studio DEEN is producing the anime. The director is Noriyuki Abe — known in Singapore for bringing Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Flame of Recca to the screen — and this marks a notable move into shōjo territory for him. Series composition is by Rika Takasugi; character design by Eiji Abiko; music by Takeshi Hama. Kyoko Hikawa is credited as original work supervisor, keeping the adaptation in close conversation with her vision.
The confirmed main cast, per the Natalie announcement (Japanese):
- Noriko Tachiki — Tomoyo Kurosawa, best known internationally for her role as Violet in Violet Evergarden
- Izark Kia Tarj — Kentarō Kumagai
- Rachef — Yūichirō Umehara, known for Made in Abyss and Black Clover
- Keimos Lee Goda — Eiji Takeuchi
The teaser leans into atmosphere over action — a close-up of Izark, the alien landscape, a sense of a world that operates by rules Noriko does not yet understand. It reads as faithful to the manga’s tone.
Premiere Date and What Singapore Fans Can Watch
From Far Away premieres on TOKYO MX on October 4 at 24:00 JST — that is 11 PM SGT on October 4. ABC TV follows on October 10, WOWOW on October 13. No international streaming deal has been announced as of today; we will update this post when a platform confirms rights for Singapore and Southeast Asia. International licensing for Studio DEEN productions has gone various ways in recent years, so it is genuinely to be confirmed.
In the meantime, the full teaser is on NBCUniversal Anime/Music’s YouTube channel, and the official anime site is live with the key visual. For more anime and manga news, browse our full archive.