Eva Goes Solo

by Evangeline Neo

Eva has always wanted to experience life in Japan. But upon her arrival there to pursue a master’s degree, she soon finds that it’s not entirely like what she’d gleaned from reading manga and watching anime. From dirty dorms and Japanese bureaucracy to natural disasters and hay fever-inducing pollen, Eva’s stay in Japan was no walk in the cherry blossom park. She was also there during the 3/11 earthquake, among the worst quakes in recent history. In this follow-up to “Eva, Kopi and Matcha”, follow Eva’s footsteps as she experiences some of the best and not-quite-the-best Japan has to offer during her postgraduate adventure. Her accounts in “Eva Goes Solo” – humorous, sometimes harrowing and informative – show that her fondness for all things Japanese has not waned, despite everything.

Genres: Comics, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Indonesian Literature

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2016

Reviews

[Syaihan Syafiq · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very light reading about Eva's life when she was studying in Japan. A must read for those who inspire to visit Japan in the future.

[Uyên Khôi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nói chung là mình rất thích văn hoá Nhật, nên mình khá hứng thú với những cuốn sách của cô nàng này, tập 1 mình cũng đọc rồi :D

Nếu so với với tập 1 thì tập 2 này có nhiều thông tin bổ ích và thú vị hơn, như là cách làm thẻ ngân hàng ở Nhật Bản, cách thuê nhà, các hoạt động phòng chống thiên tai, thói quen sinh hoạt của người Nhật, các kinh nghiệm của cô nàng khi sống ở Nhật, các món ăn/đồ uống ở Nhật... À, qua một số hình ảnh của tác giả trong sách mình mới biết là tác giả xinh gái cựccccc luôn í :">

[Dieyana Ayuni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ada mini travel guide to Japan di akhir-akhir pages comic ini. Menarik boh!

[Phu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75
Kể về hành trình của tác giả khi mới đặt chân đến Nhật, có nhưng đoạn khá thú vị để biết thêm về văn hóa Nhật và tác giả còn cho ta biết thêm về những địa điểm, các món ăn Nhật. Nét vẽ vẫn đẹp hài hước nhưng ngắt đoạn lại thành trắng đen không màu

[Alyssa J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eva Goes Solo was a lot more fun to read than "Eva, Kopi and Matcha". It feels like a personalised, funnier version of a guide book. Eva even included a very informative travel guide at the end.

[Ren Puspita · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars

Kalau dibandingkan dengan pendahulunya , yang juga sudah diterjemahkan sama Elex, buku (atau manga?) yang satu ini lebih komprehensif, matang dan informatif (bahasa gue dah kayak marketing aja ya =)) ). Kalau di Eva the Explorer, Eva lebih banyak membandingkan Singapura dan Jepang, maka di buku ini dia menceritakan pengalaman hidupnya di Jepang. Eniwei, karena ini semua dari sudut pandang Eva, maka banyakan isinya subjektif. Jadi jangan terlalu dijadikan pegangan buat misalkan entar mau sekolah/kerja/menetap di Jepang. Just take it with a grain of salt.

Gue yakin ga ada sebuah negara yang benar - benar 100% sempurna, even Japan. Tahu kan betapa Jepang sering diagung - agungkan dengan disiplinnya yang luar biasa, lingkungan yang bersih, tata krama ciamik dll. Emang g ada kurangnya? Oh tentu saja ada. Patriarkinya mayan kenceng walau ga ada dibahas di buku ini. But that's another matter, lol. Apakah Jepang 100% bersih? Sayangnya menurut Eva, tidak, hahahaha. Selain itu Jepang juga ribet dalam urusan administrasi (meskipun teknologinya maju), tampak sangat alergi jika diajak omong bahasa Inggris (atau takut? Ini sepertinya sudah rahasia umum) dan untuk urusan medis sepertinya berbelit. Yang terakhir ini bisa terlihat dari cara mereka mengatasi pandemi COVID-19 yang lagi marak sekarang. Don't believe me? Silakan cari di Twitter, lol. Bahkan ada bagian yang cukup lucu, dimana mereka juga memakai semacam name tag untuk menghalau alergi pollen, dimana di saat ini, name tag itu dianggap bisa menghalau virus. Nah, hoax pun bisa terjadi dimana saja kan :P.

Yang gue suka dari buku ini adalah, Eva berusaha jujur dan apa adanya dalam menceritakan pengalamannya di Jepang. Gue ngerasa kalau gue kesana as Indonesian, gue juga akan ngebatin sama kayak Eva, hahaha. Gue ga akan banyak cerita apa aja yang dibahas ma Eva, karena lebih menarik buat dibaca sendiri. Yang jelas, buku ini menurut gue is a must kalau mau lihat Jepang dari sudut pandang lain, yang isinya ga cuma ngebahas otaku, wibu, dan semacamnya.

Semoga Elex juga nerbitin bukunya Eva yang lain, kayak Tokyo Travel's Guide. Eniwei, kalian juga bisa follow Eva di FB atau Telegram (ngga, ini bukan promo berbayar), karena dia sering bikin ilustrasi - ilustrasi yang lucu tapi juga tepat sasaran.

[Yuan Astika Millafanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apakah Jepang memberikan citra menarik di matamu sampai-sampai kamu menjadikannya salah satu destinasi wisata atau tujuan melanjutkan pendidikan? Coba, baca buku ini dulu, deh.

Eva sudah lama ingin belajar ke Jepang. Namun, ketika sampai di sana untuk melanjutkan S-2-nya, kehidupan yang dialaminya tidak seperti yang dilihatnya di manga atau anime; mulai dari asrama yang kotor, birokrasi Jepang yang berbelit dan tidak terkoneksi satu sama lain, bencana alam, sampai serbuk benang sari yang memicu munculnya alergi. Pengalaman Eva ini terangkum dalam beberapa judul komik buku ini.

Jujur saja, aku terkecoh dengan sampul buku ini. Karena ilustrasi utama menggambarkan alat makan, kukira tema buku ini adalah kuliner. Rupanya, isinya jauh lebih kaya daripada itu. Cerita dibuka dengan upaya Eva untuk bersekolah dan mendapatkan beasiswa di Jepang. Tentu saja ini tidak mudah. Pembaca akan disuguhi beberapa cara masuk ke Jepang lewat jalur pendidikan. Selain itu, Eva juga berbagi pengalaman dan tips memilih hunian sekaligus mengomunikasikan budget dan kebutuhan ke makelar, pengalaman menghadiri undangan pernikahan, sampai panduan wisata ke Jepang.

Berbicara soal panduan wisata ke Jepang, Eva menyediakan bab khusus tentang ini di bagian akhir. Menurutku (yang masih berencana ke Jepang), isinya cukup lengkap; mulai dari alat transportasi umum, lokasi wisata (beserta catatan pentingnya), tips berpakaian sesuai musim, dan bahasa Jepang sederhana yang diperlukan oleh wisatawan atau pendatang baru.

Penyampaian cerita lewat komik membuat buku menarik. Beberapa halaman komik yang berwarna menambah nilai plus. Sayangnya, hal ini juga membuatku berharap seandainya saja semua halamannya berwarna, tentu akan lebih menarik. Bagaimana, penasaran?

Eva Goes Solo • Evangeline Neo (evacomics) • Elex Media Komputindo • 2016 • 121 hlm.

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[William Putra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to read if you want to know what foreigner life in japan. But for the drawbacks, sometimes, at the end of chapter, the author tells it's experience using long paragraphs, I think it can be explained using pictures, so make it pure comic. I don't think it necessary to add author's real life picture and travel guide section. If the author can explain the travel guide section into comics, I think it can be perfect comic. I think people buy this comic so they can easily understand what foreigner life in japan, so there is no need travel guide section. If people want travel guide, people will just buy travel guide's book, not comic.

[Nurhidayah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Eva second book after "Eva, Kopi and Matcha". Just like the first book, this book is also a comic book where the contents tailored in a humorous way. In this book, Eva highlight her experience living in Japan. There is also a travel guide to Japan toward the end of this book. If you would like to know more about Japan but you don't want to read serious material reading, I recommend this book.

[Retno · Rating 4 out of 5]

buku kedua nya eva setelah "eva, kopi dan matcha". Bentuknya komik, jadi saya suka bacanya (dan cepat selesai). Cerita tentang pengalaman eva di Jepang sebagai mahasiswa yang studi di Jepang karena mendapatkan beasiswa. Menceritakan pengalaman-pengalamannya selama disana yang terkadang tidak sesuai dengan ekspektasi ataupun beyond expectation.
Menarik, terutama bagi yang berminat sekolah disana.

[Sneha Jaiswal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kawaii! (Cute)

"Eva Goes Solo" by Evangeline Neo is an adorable graphic novel about her stay and experiences in Japan.

While Neo is from Singapore, she has cleverly captured the exaggerated style of Manga artists. So exaggerated but cute drawings help make her stay in the foreign country seem more hilarious than it is.

It's a pretty cute book and will make for great reading for anybody who is fascinated by Japan.

[Jun Nguyễn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dù nét vẽ không làm mình thỏa mãn lắm nhưng truyện cực kì hài hước và sáng tạo, nhiều đoạn cười k hông kịp nhặt mồm. Dành cho những ai muốn đi du học Nhật, hoặc yêu thích nước Nhật (hoặc bất kì ai muốn giải stress).

P.S: giá nhà Nhật đúng điêu, từ hồi học mấy bài đọc về phần này đã thấy vậy rồi giờ xem sách mới biết còn điêu hơn

[Tri Yudha Wijayanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Komik ini menceritakan pengalaman penulis sebagai orang asing yang belajar di Jepang. Lucu dan informatif, kita mendapat sudut pandang baru soal Jepang yang ternyata tidak seindah gambaran anime, saat Eva meragukan sistem medisnya atau administrasi yang ribet.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: medical content

If you want a simple, introductory glimpse into Japanese life and culture from the perspective of a non-native, you might enjoy this graphic travel memoir with bonus tips and tricks for traveling to Japan.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comic about Eva's real life experience in Japan. It is rather different from the usual tourists' experience of Japan, and so is quite a valuable experience. It's funny too.

[Michelle Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super funny and interesting comic book. Opens my eyes in viewing Japan and its culture.

[ZIN ZIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funnn

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars*

[Shin Donghae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jika eva the explorer membandingkan dua sisi budaya yang dijalani Eva, maka di Goes Solo Eva menyajikan beberapa sisi dan periode kehidupannya selama menjalani studi S2 di Jepang.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful

This was an interesting read. It was funny at times and serious at others. I got good insight into what it’s like to live in Japan. 4 stars.

[Phi Hùng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sách hay, tranh vẽ đẹp, nội dung chân thật về nước nhật và những rắc rối mà nhân vật gặ phải cũng thật thú vị. Cảm ơn tác giả và bạn đọc !

[Yee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute drawings with a humorous storytelling style. The comic also provides valuable insights about Japan that most foreigners are probably unaware of.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and entertaining. The food section is my favourite.

[Korun Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried the sample, and it was engaging I had to read the whole book! I learned a lot about the author’s experience living in Japan, her mishaps and adventures, and how it is different from some of her expectations (and mine too!). Recommended read for those planning to travel/work/live in Japan. Evacomics is informative and hilarious at the same time! 😄

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a comic person but this was a pretty fun read.

[Joy (Cheery♡Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!