You’re So Cool, Vol. 1

By YoungHee Lee
Yen Press, 192 pp.
Rating: 13+

Intelligent, affluent, polite, attractive…who wouldn’t like Seung-Ha, the resident prince of the school and beacon of perfection? Certainly not Nan-Wo, his klutzy, aggressive classmate who spends her days pining for him and replaying her seemingly endless string of slip ups in front of him. But when Seung-Ha asks her to date him, it all seems like a dream come true- that is, until she figures out that her dream prince is actually her worst nightmare!

Ah, the personality dichotomy: old as the hills but an ever attractive plot device. You’re So Cool may not be heading in any new directions, but a vicious bent and unflinching lead heroine manages to keep things interesting in spite of the title’s shortcomings. The first installment follows a remarkably simple path: girl likes boy, girl scores impossibly improbable date with boy, girl is victim of injustices and realizes boy is thug. It doesn’t make for great reading, and certainly doesn’t enamor one towards anybody other than Nan-Wo, but nonetheless serves as the right setup for future installments. Act One may be the big reveal, but act two will inevitably be sweet revenge.

Exempting a few forgettable background characters, You’re So Cool is almost entirely a two man show. Nan-Wo, the protagonist du jour, provides the levity and spastic humor the series revels in: she’s unfeminine, brash and thoroughly overeager, traits designed naturally to clash with her tormentor. Seung-Ha packs a vicious attitude and penchant for cruelty, but hints of emotional baggage and emotional instability promise that he has the Rich Boy Family Issues to explain it all away in future installments.

Artistically, the series remains firmly planted in the realm of serviceable manhwa style, improved by the occasional well done full page spread. Everyone suffers from a kind of angular lankiness, but the effect isn’t overwhelming enough to detract from the narrative. This being shojo, there’s plenty of elaborate toning, but never to the point of invasive excess. Yen’s treatment of the material is perhaps most admirable, as the oversized volume comes with an abundance of color opener pages and a well adapted (ten points for usage of the verb “shotgunning”) translation.

You’re So Cool may follow the usual love/hate dynamics, but an unstoppable female lead and appropriately nasty counterpart add an extra crackle that less outrageous titles fail to capture. There’s nothing new to amaze and delight anyone remotely familiar with the usual shojo tropes, but with so many simpering wallflower protagonists on the market, those searching for a little more spastic spunk are advised to take a look.

Volume one of You’re So Cool is available now.