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A review by exlibrisbitsy
From Far Away, Vol. 4 by Kyoko Hikawa
4.0
Wow! Everything in this volume has reached new heights and I really think the series is starting to come into its own. Noriko and Izark find themselves in some pretty precarious situations after they were separated in the previous volume. What happens next was worth having in its own volume. Wow is all I can say without spoiling things, just wow.
The art was beautiful, varied and interesting. I loved the depiction of magic and the beautiful ways the layout often told the story. The story has some fascinating plot twists and reveals and new things are discovered about Noriko and Izark. What Noriko’s presence as the Awakening means for Izark and the people of this world remains unexplained but what is discovered definitely is food for thought.
The author has still not completely broken herself of telling things occasionally that she thought she couldn’t draw adequately but these explanations just took you out of the story and were often superfluous. I trust both this author and the story she has to tell implicitly, she doesn’t need to second guess herself! If I see it’s a different time of day somewhere else or two people decide to drink coffee I’m going to go with it. Quit interrupting yourself with asides explaining minutiae and tell the story!
Also the side panels talking about scenes from her childhood that she is not completely sure actually happened or not are a bit unnerving. I’m not sure why those are there either. I don’t mind if panels like that are at the beginning or end of a book but in the middle of a story is a bit distracting. Still looking forward to volume five though, I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for Noriko and Izark next!
The art was beautiful, varied and interesting. I loved the depiction of magic and the beautiful ways the layout often told the story. The story has some fascinating plot twists and reveals and new things are discovered about Noriko and Izark. What Noriko’s presence as the Awakening means for Izark and the people of this world remains unexplained but what is discovered definitely is food for thought.
The author has still not completely broken herself of telling things occasionally that she thought she couldn’t draw adequately but these explanations just took you out of the story and were often superfluous. I trust both this author and the story she has to tell implicitly, she doesn’t need to second guess herself! If I see it’s a different time of day somewhere else or two people decide to drink coffee I’m going to go with it. Quit interrupting yourself with asides explaining minutiae and tell the story!
Also the side panels talking about scenes from her childhood that she is not completely sure actually happened or not are a bit unnerving. I’m not sure why those are there either. I don’t mind if panels like that are at the beginning or end of a book but in the middle of a story is a bit distracting. Still looking forward to volume five though, I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for Noriko and Izark next!