Originally published at The Beat.

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.

Izumi has met his match, in more ways than one.

Izumi is one of the top sales reps at his company, and he was flying high at #1 until Sendo joined the team and surpassed him. Now Izumi can’t stop his jealousy and his desire to compete with Sendo at all costs.

One day, at his friend’s request, Izumi downloads a dating app for men to work as a tester for the app, but to his surprise, he connects with someone and the two begin a meaningful friendship. Izumi shocks himself by agreeing to meet this mystery man in public…

Of course, it turns out to be Sendo.

To Izumi’s total shock, the two begin a physical relationship filled with pleasure Izumi never knew existed, but he knows at some point he needs to give up the charade with Sendo.

I don’t want to blow the ending for you, but I will say at some point, the truth comes out; Izumi and Sendo’s relationship is tested, and…things get worse before they get better. Fated NOT to Meet follows the traditional romantic beats found in novels, so if you’re a fan of romance, you’re going to get everything you want out of this manga and more. This checks all the boxes: meet-cute (albeit awkward), falling for each other, denial, separation, reunion, and an HEA.

The tricky thing for me is that I’m not always a fan of misunderstandings that move the plot along. Izumi pretends to be a gay man in order to help promote his friend’s app, and when he had the chance to come clean with Sendo, he blows it. Then the deceptions sort of snowball from there until things come to a head. This admittedly made me cringe, and it might make you, cringe too. You almost have to suspend disbelief in order to accept the progression of the plot, and that might be a dealbreaker for some readers. Overall, aside from me wincing here and there when certain things happened, I was able to overlook Izumi’s deceptions and take the story as is, and in doing so, found it enjoyable.

The art is gorgeous and tantalizing. The characters are handsomely illustrated, and their love scenes vary from a sort of animalistic, primal sex to more intimate, loving moments. Be forewarned that this manga is completely uncensored, so if copious nudity is not your cup of tea, avoid this. It’s full of spicy sex scenes.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this manga: beautiful men, beautiful art, and an engaging story that starts with a little bit of cringe but grows into a romantic tale of burgeoning love between two professional rivals.

Fans of BL will enjoy this one, especially fans of more explicit BL. The story hits all of the romance plot beats and provides a titillating glimpse into an M/M relationship filled with unmistakable chemistry. You’ll be rooting for Izumi to come clean with Sendo (and himself) and for Sendo to finally find “the one.” The constant “do I like him? What if I do?” that Izumi feels propels the story and when it finally gets resolved, you’ll be cheering this couple on.

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It turns out Fated NOT to Meet has an additional volume that came out in March of this year. I read it last night and will be reviewing it for this blog. In the meantime, you can get Fated NOT to Meet from the publisher or anywhere books are sold.