Can't Lose You Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Wann (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Series: Can't Lose You | Publication Date: April 4, 2006

In a whirlwind narrative of vanity and conceit, Can't Lose You is the story of two characters who come from opposite worlds but are united by the most unlikely of circumstances: Yooi is a desperate girl working day and night to earn pennies in hopes of on

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Prince and the Pauper (or Dave, for the new generation) gets a 21st-century soap-opera twist in this new Korean series. Yooi Kang is a flat-broke freshman who's just moved into a new school where she's met Lida Yoo, her spoiled, rich doppelgänger. Lida is betrothed to androgynous bad-boy and corporate heir Gaon Gil. Yooi and Lida get along about as well as Krystle and Alexis Carrington, until Lida realizes she can pay Yooi to act as her double. Lida tells Yooi the doubling is just for "boring parties" and decides not to mention the death threats she's been receiving. Meanwhile, Gil starts falling for the new, less pretentious Lida who's been showing up to company events. Too bad she's really Yooi. Confused? It's all part of the fun. Wann keeps enough plot twists coming to make volume one a satisfying read, without ever piling on more than her audience can handle. And she makes sure the art stays clear as well. The layouts are clean and well composed, and she has a flair for dramatic poses that help move the story along. Her occasional forays into mad, chibi-strewn frenzies fit right into the over-the-top emotional beats. This manga is sure to appeal to the Gossip Girl crowd. (Mar.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: NETCOMICS (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600090397
• ISBN-13: 978-1600090394
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A MIX OF ELEMENTS THAT COMES TOGETHER WELL, May 15, 2006

By 

Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Can't Lose You Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Can't Lose You is a bit of a modern day re-telling of the classic "The Prince and the Pauper" and the creator, Wann, even makes reference to that inspirational story. Yooi Kang is a high school sophomore who is barely surviving on her own. Her father is on the run because of debts he ran up and Yooi is trying to pay them off so she can be reunited with him. Between school and work, Yooi has little time for anything else. She runs afoul of Lida Yoo, another student who is a wealthy heiress, used to getting her own way. But the girls soon make an astounding discovery...they look exactly alike!

Lida makes a deal with Yooi. She pays her to take her place at events and various other public appearances. Yooi can certainly use the money as it is far more than she could ever make on her jobs and posing as a high society heiress can't be all bad. But what Lida doesn't tell her is that her family has been getting blackmailed with threats made against Lida's life. Now Lida is safely protected while poor Yooi is on the firing line. Furthermore, Gaon Gil, a handsome young man is arranged to marry Lida but doesn't much care for her. Yet when the pair attends an event at an orphanage, Gil falls for Lida...who isn't Lida...but Yooi instead. When Yooi insists that she be allowed to dine with the children, the banquet is moved. Soon a bomb goes off trapping Yooi, Gil, and the children in the basement. Who is responsible and why? And how will Yooi react once she knows someone is trying to kill Lida?

Wann's story was very well done. Part comedy, mystery, romance, and drama, it works on all of those levels. Lida is a typical high society snob who suddenly likes Gil as soon as she finds out he's attracted to Yooi. Unfortunately it's not her looks but her charming and innocent personality that attracts Gil, something Lida just doesn't have. Fun book!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting and Fun Read, July 8, 2010

By 

GraphicNovelReporter.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Can't Lose You Vol. 1 (Paperback)

To put it crisply, Can't Lose You is like The Prince and the Pauper with Korean schoolgirls. Yooi is barely making ends meet, having to come up with enough money to survive while attending high school. Her mother is dead and her father, overwhelmed by debt, left her behind. Lida, meanwhile, has been raised in the lap of luxury and is willing to let everyone know how much better she is.

But, as it turns out, Yooi and Lida have the exact same face. Their haircuts and their personalities are what tell them apart.

They run into each other and realize the similarities. Later, Lida decides to use Yooi as her body double. Yooi dons a wig and gets paid to pretend she's Lida. Since Yooi needs the money, she jumps at this job opportunity.

There are a few reasons, though, why Yooi might not want to be Lida. For one, someone is trying to kill the rich girl. And it isn't long before an assassination attempt is made on Yooi due to mistaken identity. Her very life is in danger because of this job.

There's also the issue of Lida's fiancé. It's an engagement of money and convenience, and while Lida is infatuated with her fiancé, Gaon, he can't stand her. He even goes to tell her off, only to tell off a bewildered Yooi instead. Yooi won't put up with this attitude from him, which gets him to rethink things. As he hangs out with Yooi (believing she's Lida), he becomes impressed with her personality. He didn't realize his bride-to-be was so brave and caring. So he starts falling in love with Yooi, thinking she's Lida, and Yooi starts falling in love with Gaon, scared to admit she isn't Lida. It's all a tangled mess. And there's still the issue that someone out there is trying to assassinate Lida and may very well pick off Yooi instead.

Can't Lose You has a main premise similar to some other stories (like the aforementioned Prince and the Pauper), but makes itself an interesting and fun read. While readers might think, "Gee, this sounds familiar" when starting the series, they'll soon get caught up in the storyline. The story likes to concentrate on the forbidden feelings between Yooi and Gaon, but the fear of assassination is really where the intensity lies.
-- Danica Davidson

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can't Lose You, July 1, 2007

By 

Tofu Lover - See all my reviews

This review is from: Can't Lose You Vol. 1 (Paperback)

A story of two high school girls, Yooi and Lida, who look identical but are not related, switch places. Yooi coming from a poor background while Lida has wealth. Lida makes a deal with Yooi to switch places for money. Unbeknownst to Yooi, Lida is a target for assassination. Add in Lida's fiance who begins to like Lida, when it's actually Yooi, you get a romantic element thrown in.

It is a familar story where two people switch places with one being poor and the other rich. It is now told in a modern day setting in Korea. The first volume does a nice job of introducing the main characters. Yooi and Lida have different personalities and hairstyles so its easy to tell them apart. The story has a good mixture of romance and comedy with a little action thrown in at the end. It's Wann's artwork so the drawings uses clean and pristine lines. There is no shading other than zipper tones. The women are drawn really attractive with clean lines and pouty lips. However, the men are like women just with short hair, facial hair, no pouty lips, and obnoxiously tall. There is only one chubby character that is one of Lida's bodyguards which makes a brief appearance and adds a little contrast to the world of models. I liked the story where it can be romantic at times and others when Yooi is sometimes chibi-sized. It lightens the mood. Plus, it helps that she's pretty cute. The story drew me in to see what's Lida's ulterior motive for Yooi in the next volume. Try a free preview at Netcomics.com