I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love – double

I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love #2

by Minta Suzumaru, Diana Hesse (Translator)

Yoshino und Rou haben sich in ihrer Beziehung eingerichtet und leben zufrieden ihren gemeinsamen Alltag. Doch dieser wandelt sich, als Rou das Studium abschließt und ebenfalls ein Teil der arbeitenden Bevölkerung wird. Er ist frustriert, dass er nicht mehr so viel Zeit mit Yoshino verbringen kann, der sich wiederum zunehmend Sorgen um seinen Partner macht...

Genres: Manga, Romance, LGBT, Boys Love, Queer, Comics, Contemporary

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2024

About the author

Minta Suzumaru (鈴丸みんた) is a Japanese mangaka.

Reviews

[alex :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

yoshino is way too forgiving because what do you mean rou spent the night at a guy’s house while you’re at home waiting for him?? rou should’ve gotten the silent treatment or something but noooo yoshino’s just gonna spread his legs and forgive him for it 😀

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has definitely cemented Minta Suzumaru as one of my favorite mangaka. Possibly my top favorite, because unlike the others (Hinohara, Minaduki Yuu), who largely have one couple/series of couples they follow for about a gazillion volumes, Minta jumps from story to story and hasn't missed yet. At least in the ones I've been able to read.

With that said, I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love has been my absolute favorite of the bunch since I first read it, three years ago. Which meant that I was happy about a sequel...but also pretty nervous.

I am NOT someone who likes to see my favorite stories get dragged on and on and on, because it always means there will be more drama introduced, and there's no guarantee it's going to avoid tropes or scenarios I actively hate. So I was a little worried that this could have the potential of ruining a favorite story for me.

And it...does get into pretty dangerous territory. There's one line in particular I did not like, which was Rou telling his new coworker that if he (Rou) had still been single, he definitely would've made a move on him. It felt jarring, unnecessary, and pretty hurtful to Yoshino, if he'd known about it.

But I'll circle back to that in a minute.

There's a little bit of a time skip in this volume, with Rou graduating from college and entering the workforce - he's an editor, I think, for a food magazine, which isn't really a career I'd expected for him, but I'd had no sense of what he would be into, so it works out fine. Mostly, it seems to be leaning into his heavy extroversion and ability to seamlessly get along with everyone he meets.

He, of course, immediately fits into his workplace super well - it's fairly chill about dress code and hair colors/piercings/etc - but he had, leading up to it, been nervous about whether he'd make actual friends at work. It's the Rou that we met at the end of the previous volume, once all his ultra-charming bravado broke down and Yoshino realized how young this intensely charming, seemingly flawless guy was.

Because that's the thing...while Rou has a ton more romantic/physical experience, and a lot of confidence when it comes to short term relationships and one night stands, Yoshino has far more life experience.

Rou actually displayed a lot of serious immaturity in the initial stages of his relationship with Yoshino - playing hot and cold and trying to get Yoshino to chase him, like everyone had done in the past...and then panicking when Yoshino turned out to be too serious and practical to understand his role in the game. He realized that he was going to lose this incredibly beautiful, deeply kind, wonderful man if he didn't step up and do the most cringingly humiliating thing he could imagine...being honest about his feelings and throwing himself out there for possible rejection.

He's still struggling with that, a little bit, but he is so much better about it now that they're together. They talk a ton - the opening scene is Rou preparing for work and having to close out the phone call so he's not late for his new employee orientation...because they'd just stay on the phone forever! Love that. Love seeing a couple just liking each other that much. And Rou does his best to pretty much constantly tell and show Yoshino how much he cares about him.

That still doesn't remove all worries, particularly when Rou starts getting close to a guy at work who is his age, "thrilling" to be around (in his words), and gay...which he finds out later, before phoning Yoshino to tell him he's going to spend the night at this guy Niko's apartment.

Good boyfriend behavior: immediately phoning Yoshino to explain the situation.
Clueless boyfriend behavior: thinking it's okay to spend the night with another gay dude??

Yoshino does express his concerns, but backs off when Rou reassures him that Niko actively dislikes him so there's nothing to worry about. That's...not as comforting as it's meant to be, because it wasn't actually Rou saying that he would never be interested in Niko if Niko started to like him more. Which he does, over the course of a really heartfelt conversation about the relationship Niko had just been shattered by, and Rou's reassurance that things will be okay, someone will eventually come along who sees how incredible it would be to be loved by someone like him.

Which is where that line I disliked comes in.

In context, for the story and for Rou, it actually makes sense. It doesn't particularly mean anything to him. Because, yeah? Before he was dating Yoshino, he very much would have made a move on anyone who was remotely attractive and potentially interested in him. That was literally his entire deal. Because Yoshino was so different and such a transformative relationship for him - he tells Niko in the same breath that of course it would never happen now because he's committed to his boyfriend for life - it doesn't occur to him that this is a thing he shouldn't be saying to other people anymore.

Rou is Yoshino's first everything, but Yoshino is Rou's first and only love, and that means he's fumbling through a lot of things still, too. He doesn't actually know what a committed relationship looks like, and what sorts of things are not okay.

What I liked was that all of this was very specifically addressed. Not that exact line, but the entire incident that surrounded it. Rou is genuinely shocked that his friends (mostly Sui) would call him a cheater and tell him to come fetch his extremely drunk, really upset boyfriend. But the moment he realizes he messed up, he literally runs to fix it, and to figure out what he can do in future to never, ever make Yoshino feel like that again.

I just really love the maturity of their relationship, and how much they both work at understanding and adapting to each other. Yoshino honestly isn't entirely sure if he should feel upset about what Rou did...it wasn't cheating, and he knew it wasn't like Rou was actually doing anything with Niko. But he still didn't like Rou being there with him in such an intimate, overnight, emotional setting...and because of his lack of relationship experience, he didn't know if it was reasonable to be hurt or angry about it.

I always love series where there's a whole queer social group to provide support and advice for situations like this. The guys at the bar go...yeah, that would upset me! And Yoshino's able to accept his own feelings and then figure out how to express them in an honest but productive way.

Honestly, I could spend forever unpacking this story, but I loved the bedroom scene that came after they left the bar, and how incredibly distraught Rou was to realize how much his actions had been damaging their relationship. Not just in the immediate situation, but in the way Yoshino was reacting, and feeling like he had to do things to make Rou still want to stay with him. It was an intense, really wonderfully written scene, with so much love in it.

That's the key to all of this...while I hate rival love interests and jealousy arcs and things like that, this one was presented as a real world situation that does sometimes need to be talked about and dealt with. Their relationship really does feel like it came out stronger and more established as a result of being forced to talk through some of these issues.

And, of course, Niko is very much not going to be a lasting rival...for a number of reasons, but a primary one being that he will very obviously be the star of a spin-off volume with Sui. I hope that does end up happening, both for the background Rou/Yoshino and also because they do have some cute potential.

As a final note, I'm very, very pleased that Seven Seas grabbed and translated the bonus story at the end of this volume...it's a pamphlet I had in Japanese because of some merch I'd bought, but now I can actually read it! Love that.

I just loved this whole story, a lot, and I'm delighted that while it strayed into some dodgy territory, it did so in a way that proved what a brilliant, mature, thoughtful storyteller Minta is.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't really enjoyed reading this one as i thought gonna be. It was okay not my cup of tea.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ja, ... der war irgendwie ziemlich langweilig leider :/ von dem Altersunterschied merkt man eigentlich gar nichts mehr, da beide jetzt Arbeitstätig sind. Es geht eigentlich nur um Rou und seinen Arbeitskollegen, der in der typischen "Zusammen mit nem Kerl, der ne Family mit Kind hat und sich nicht trennen will"-Beziehung hängt.
Und den Trope find ich echt stinkend öde.

Es ist immer noch pretty. Sex ist glowy zensiert. Ist süß, aber das wars auch. Bissl unnötige Fortsetzung.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet follow-up for these two. Like a slice of life epilogue. While there is tension in the story arc as they settle into the relationship it wasn’t major drama and is solved quickly. Like the previous volume I love the art so that alone had me loving it

[estherbookster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel! Once again we see our college age and a 30+ year old male leads encounter some drama! Smut, miscommunication, and misunderstanding. Extra panels of more explicit content. And hullo, can we please have a story with Sui x Niko (and possibly another about the two dudes that hangout in Sui’s bar bc they are hilarious)?!

[sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

The focus was on the coworker a little too much but I do like how the whole ordeal brought Rou and Yoshino closer in the end.

[Kasha Michiels · Rating 5 out of 5]

They are still adorable. I need a side story about Hibiya-kun ASAP

[空 · Rating 3 out of 5]

details
✦ Rou is now a Member of Society with his shiny new job, having graduated. His new job is at a magazine company, and his role is one of those nebulous “he’s a newbie” roles

✦ He tries to make friends at said new job—an easy enough task given that he’s young, handsome, and can turn on the charm faucet when required. But one of his colleagues, “Niko”, who is the same age as he is and also technically joined the company at the same time, proves to be a thorny, ornery person who takes more persuading.

✦ Of course Rou wins Niko over eventually, and is even there for Niko when Niko’s scumbag ex-boyfriend takes advantage of him and Niko falls into a depressive mood.

✦ Unfortunately, Yoshino begins to feel a bit jealous of Rou’s time with Niko, and even the care that he shows Niko. He doesn’t say anything though, but he does end up drinking a lot at Sui’s uncle’s bar.

✦ Sui once again comes in clutch and his message to Rou prompts Rou to run to said bar to pick up Yoshino, and the two lovebirds make up.

✦ Love is in the air for Sui and there will probably be a third book called 恋をするつもりがありすぎ lol (things I learned about Sui: he has a ginormous crush on Niko, and also he is an excellent chef)

thoughts
I liked this sequel, but it really feels more like a set up for Sui and Niko’s love story, not an actual sequel to Rou and Yoshino’s relationship. Instead, a large bulk of this volume is Rou winning Niko over. Which was fine—it was fun to see Rou turn on the charm, and also see he can be perfectly competent when he wants to be. But as a result Rou and Yoshino don’t get a lot of quality time until the end and the omake, to sort of make up for that lack.

I would have preferred it if we could have wrapped up Rou and Niko’s bonding exercise faster, and we see Yoshino become more settled and confident in the stability of his relationship with Rou. Instead all we get is one teary-eyed conversation in the end, that’s supposed to make sure everything is good. Sure, I want them to be happy with each other — and Rou pretty much proposes a sort of marriage to Yoshino (“I want to live with you forever”), although they would have to move to Shibuya for their union to be even recognized — but I would also like to see progression.

Maybe if Yoshino had told Rou all his insecurities, to give Rou a chance to address them? But I guess Suzumaru was trying to like, introduce Niko/Sui while also toning down the number of Yoshino/Rou complications …

Eh, anyway, it was fun, but it could have been more, done more, on the Yoshino/Rou front.

✦ Suzumaru also ranked the four nerds based on how well they cook, which was hilarious to me:
Sui — so good he can serve his food at restaurants
Yoshino — very good
Rou — pretty good
Niko — can burn water

[Ryofire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is leaning towards a 3.5 star than a 4, which is frustrating because I generally love Suzumaru's work and volume 1 in this series is one of my favorites boys love stories. Volume 2 isn't horrible, and has its own good sides, but it's just not as enjoyable as Suzumaru's usual work, and isn't the best follow-up to volume 1.

There are upsides and downsides from an art angle. I actually think Suzumaru's anatomy work has improved a lot since volume 1 came out, and she was already a great artist, so that's saying something. There are a number of scenes where the positioning is just really nice. But some scenes truly shine. On the other hand, for some reason, and this isn't exactly a knock on Suzumaru's abilities: while volume 1 (via Seven Seas) used censor bars, volume 2 (also via Seven Seas), for some reason, uses lightsabers. So we're seeing less of Suzumaru's artwork. Censor bars and lightsabers in boys love are already stupid homophobic censorship crap, but the switch in the same series with the difference of one volume is ridiculous.

I'm not sure how I feel about this exactly, and maybe this is partly my own issue, but a narrative thing that was difficult to deal with from a visual standpoint was Rou dying his hair black. Yes, he and Yoshino have different face shapes and style their hair differently. That being said, when they both have black hair, it's hard to distinguish who's who in a scene because their face shapes are a bit too similar, and looking for how their bangs are parted is really not helpful as a distinguishing factor. When I first opened the book when previews were made available, I thought it was Yoshino, not Rou, in the suit for orientation. I've never had this issue before, even in boys love with characters with identical skin types and hair colors.

From a writing standpoint, the overall narrative was fine, but kind of meh. Dialogue just wasn't very good, and the plot felt kind of aimless. Rou acts ridiculous and Yoshino, my favorite, was sidelined. I wouldn't have minded Rou being centered in the sequel if the story weren't so bland. I honestly wish the side couple was more centered, because the main pairing storyline was so uninteresting.

On top of all this, the smoking plotline was disgusting. I hate plotlines where characters teach other to smoke as a couple's activity, especially with no reflection on what they are doing to themselves. Fiction doesn't have to be moralistic, but that you have two educated young men with no awareness of how they're destroying their bodies using cigarettes for fun/to network/because it looks cool, is just gross on so many levels, and far from cute or sexy. It was honestly nauseating at best. That Yoshino not only suggested it to Rou for work purposes with no caveats, but also Rou even got cigarettes as essentially a tool for work is just awful, and speaks more of how awful smoking is in Japanese work culture than possibly Suzumaru intended. Maybe she meant it as an indictment of this kind of thing, I don't know. But it's gross to read. I would be less bothered by the characters just already smoking for whatever reason than I am what happens in this story. "The Dangerous Convenience Store" handles a similar plot far better, with the implication that Eui-joon learning to smoke for work is bad and an indictment of the industry he works in. double wouldn't bother me as much if another BL manga Seven Seas licensed for English recently, "Punk's Triangle", didn't also do a similar storyline to what happens in double. Seven Seas is one of a number of publishers I go to for BL I've never heard of to give a chance, and knowing they may license more of this stuff in future is disheartening, and makes me warier of giving new stuff by mangaka I don't know a shot.

Part of my frustration is also due to disappointment. I was honestly surprised and excited when I heard Suzumaru was making another book in this series, because I love volume 1 so much. And the result isn't bad, per se: the writing quality is fine, the art (ignoring the censorship) is quite good to excellent, and the cast is decent. It just doesn't hold up to volume 1.

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow, it took me awhile to realize there was a sequel to this story, and while it leaves room for continuation, it's a cute addition with the introduction of more characters that could be a future focus as these two settle into their new lives. Rou has entered the work force and has more than a few nerves about this new lifestyle. He thinks he may have found a kindred spirit in a coworker, and while he's correct, this new coworker has more than a little bit of bite to them, in part it seems thanks to his own rather disappointing and harmful relationship. Rou is as innocent as ever wanting to do the right thing and unintentionally manages to bring up some questionable thoughts and feelings in the process. It's a good thing Rou and his friends are so comfortable and supportive of his relationship with Yoshino. They might have started out as an odd couple and have their own challenges to bridge, but at this point, this main pairing seems pretty solid, even in questionable circumstances.

[Cas ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There’s no telling when you’ll meet someone special to you. It could happen at any time, in any place. That’s why you have to look. Why you step into the future with your eyes open and hold onto your expectations. Just live your life, and it’ll happen someday.”

♥️😭 I needed these words.

This sequel was perfect. It was just enough conflict to make my heart race for Yoshino-kun, but not enough to be truly mad at Rou. His beautiful heart was in the right place and they figured it out. 🥹 I wouldn’t mind reading Sui/Niko’s story in the future; Niko deserves someone good after what he went through!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like Yoshino wasn't in this as much and it focused a lot on Rou and Niko, although that's not fully true because Yoshino is definitely around. This felt like it was mainly setting up a potential spin off between Niko and Sui, which I would definitely like to see.

I had a good time with this. I loved the cute moments between Rou and Yoshino and I liked how this volume established more of their character and relationship. Honestly it makes me want to read even more and get to know them even better.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

I reread the first book in anticipation of reading this. So the first time around when I read volume one I wasn't the biggest fan. But it grew on me. I was kicking my feet in excitement looking forward to this volume. It is not bad, but it focuses so much on one half of the couple, introducing a potential rival, jealousy, miscommunication. It just felt like a throwaway story 🥲 I still love this couple immensely. Maybe I will appreciate this more on a reread with lowered expectations.

cw dv, cheating

[Zian B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I was initially excited to hear that this series had a 2nd volume in it, I feel like this volume didn’t live up to my expectations of it.
The storyline in this particular volume mainly focused on Rou’s troubled coworker that he met after joining a company and, while it did show some Rou and Yoshino relationship progression, I wasn’t expecting that to take up majority of the manga’s content. I would’ve enjoyed this additional volume more if it showed more of Rou and Yoshino having to adjust in their relationship with Rou now being in the workforce.

[Mandy | bookseller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Habe "I didn't mean to fall in love" echt wirklich geliebt — bzw liebe alle Manga von Minta Suzumaru, aaaaaber... Meine Babys Yoshino und Rou haben hier kaum cozy, sweete, fluffy Zweisamkeit, auf die ich so gehofft habe. Stattdessen wurde hier viel Wert auf das Kennenlernen und Antasten eines neuen Pairs gelegt, was ich zwar auch sehr cute finde, aber dann sag doch bitte, dass es keine richtige Fortsetzung, sondern eher n Spin Off ist 🥺🥺

[livia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I admit I’m a sucker for a good jealousy plot, so I enjoyed this more than most I guess. I understand everyone who felt frustrated with it, though, especially one particular line from Rou which felt very out of line, but I was satisfied by their communication and Rou’s apologies and reassurances.

I’m willing to give a lot of grace to people as far as mistakes when they’re genuinely apologetic and take steps to not repeat them, and that’s what Rou did.

[Heather’s Reading Bubble · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the art a lot in this one. The characters were cute. It even didn’t annoy me when Yoshino got jealous for what I felt was a stupid reason. There was a hint of a continuation with two of the side characters and honestly I hope it becomes a thing as I would love to see more of this world and these characters.

[Ale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Iniciamos con ellos como pareja y se desarrolla de forma en la que pierdes de vista a los protagonista. Dando el protagonismo a un personaje que acaba de aparecer. Pasan a segundo plano, y el drama no está bien llevado.

[nana ୨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐ 3.5

[selina · Rating 4 out of 5]

good good good

[Vicky :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nada para agregar solo que pinterest y la ilustración de portada me estafaron (x2)

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute! Loved it a lot

[Sebastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 4.25

[Jimena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minta Suzumaru no decepciona con sus escenas hot, pero admito que esperaba un poco más drama. De cierta forma esta ruta para continuar la historia se sintió algo forzada...

[Mk · Rating 2 out of 5]

blah

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooooooo cute, I love this duology, I hope we get more about the potential side couple!!

[melyna ＼(٥⁀▽⁀ )／ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 for me 🫤 "if i was single, i’d go for you in a heartbeat" WTFFF ??? man i just wished there wasn’t a sequel because what was the point of this ??

[J-Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow…. He has more chemistry with his coworker than he does with his partner. Regardless, thank god my fears didn’t happen,