Review: Fated NOT to Meet, Volume 1

Another week, another manga I want to tell you about. This was more bittersweet in the end for me, but I still enjoy a good deal of the story, so if you're interested in plots that are really different, realistic, and intense, you might want to check Fated NOT to Meet, Volume 1, by Ei Eijou. Thanks to the publisher for the copy to review!

• Print Length: 224 pages.
  
• Publisher: TokyoPop.
• Publication Date: April 22, 2025.
• Genres: Contemporary, Drama, Gay, Manga, Romance.
• Rating: 3/5 stars.

Izumi, the sales ace with excellent grades, good looks and great communication skills, has someone he absolutely cannot lose to.

His name is Sendo, the most unlikable man who took the top spot from Izumi.

Izumi was the top salesman and fan favorite amongst the girls in the office... that is, until Sendo came along.

When a friend recruits him to be a plant for a gay dating app, Izumi agrees, so long as he never has to meet anyone in person. But when he makes a connection with "Kei", the temptation to meet his new friend becomes irresistible. After all, even if they meet, it's not like they actually have to start dating... right?!

Well, turns out "Kei" is none other than Izumi's rival, Sendo! Moreover, what Sendo has in mind for Izumi isn't exactly "dating," and the intense pleasure that awaits them both might just be worth defying fate.

This was a story I liked a lot. The characters lived up to my expectations just as the plot did. It had a nice pace from beginning to end, playing a lot with the reader about what you could expect and what might happen, so kudos to Ei Eijou for doing it right for Fated NOT to Meet, Volume 1. I ended up sympathizing with Izumi a lot because I understand his insecurities, so that was another good point for the manga.

Sendo was more of an acquired taste. He seems to be a typical character in yaoi stories, the bad boy, to be more specific, so I didn't get my hopes too high about him. But later you see there's more that meets the eye. However, it does take time, and while the wait is worth it, it did influence how I look at him. As a couple, these two work together very well.

My only real issue with this story is a scene closer to the ending, which seems to downplay a lack of consent. It was a big turn off because the story had been so wholesome, so fascinating, but that scene at the end was unacceptable, it didn't fit the narrative at all. Even if it was all "okay" at the end, this is not how a good, healthy sexual encounter works, so big disappointment on that side.

I am still interested in reading the second volume and see what happens next because the chemistry between Sendo and Izumi was real for a long time. I enjoyed Ei Eijou's style so far, so I still want to insist on it and see what happens next. If you like stories that explore unconventional relationships and power dynamics, then Fated NOT to Meet, Volume 1 might be a good pick for you as long as you're mindful of that scene at the end.

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