Yes, the theme is controversial and even the characters are challenged and bothered by it, but they just belong with each other, as twisted as it is. They are not in a realistic or common scenario either, so in many ways, it doesn't seem as wrong as if it would occur in a more slice-of-life type manga. All that said, why on earth are so all these groups scanlating this over and over again?! To think that there are other quality BL out there to be scanlating instead!

Really wasn't bad. Besides biology, the main morality issue standing in the way of incest is the whole question of whether the "caretaker" is taking advantage, or maybe even raised the kid into the whole relationship, the matter of consent is just too messy. But ike reibun found a loophole for that and I applaud her for ingenuity, this definity isnt a typical run of the mill incest. However that being said, I would say beyond that its not amazing. Not much else happens thats beyond your average bl manga. There are also a few things in the manga that could have been more tidy, like Ryou's motivations that drew him to his young father in the firstplace, knowing that it was really his father? Its kind of gross if you think that maybe he was that desperate for his love and attention he would do anything.....

... Last updated on February 28th, 2014, 3:09pm

This isn't my first incest manga, nor will it probably be my last. Incest isn't something I go out of my way to read, but I don't mind it, especially when it's done well. Here, it was only so-so for me.

The development of the relationship has some good points and some bad. I think the mangaka needed to show the thoughts and psychological states of the characters a little bit more while they were developing the relationship in order for the romantic feelings to really be felt by the audience. Instead, if comes across a little bit like they got together just because they were only around each other at the time, which doesn't happen without actual attraction between two people. The attraction was missing for me.

On top of that, the supernatural element (the time travel), while I appreciate it as an inventive way for the two to meet and fall in love, wasn't really explained well. It kind of just happened... no real explanation why it would happen at those times, what caused it, or anything else. Of course, it's a supernatural element so things like that don't need to be explained, right? Sure, if you want to go with contrived plots. When the time travel is the only thing that makes your story happen, the only supernatural element in your story and it only happens at points it needs to for story telling, then it's way too contrived for my appreciation.

Also, the ending felt a little rushed and unresolved. Basically, the whole plot could've worked better toward a clear end that felt satisfying, and while it made a valiant effort to do so, it fell short.

So why did I rate it so high? Well, it's cute enough as a story. The art is decent. There is some proper character development (though I'm kind of strict on character development in a story and it wasn't satisfactory for me). And overall you can do worse if you're looking for an incest story (much worse -_-;; ). My overall thoughts are you can read this one if bored or if you're looking for something with these kind of elements in it (father/son relationship with time travel), but don't expect a masterpiece.

... Last updated on February 17th, 2014, 7:42pm

It's strange and sad and I still ended up liking both of them. They are soul mates stuck in very inconvenient bodies. *Cries a little* I really wish for their happiness regardless of their blood ties.

I've been following this from the beginning and now that it is completed, my feelings on it aren't quite what they used to be. This started out really wonderful, but toward the last few chapters it kind of fizzled a bit for me. This is not to say that it's bad by any means. There are great characters and the story is interesting, but I feel some parts were not developed to my satisfaction. The ending lacked the same emotional punch which the rest of the chapters had. I liked some aspects of it, but it mostly felt as if it were thrown together in order to bring a conclusion to the story without enough thought for the story as a whole. Maybe I'm being overly critical? Anyway, I still really enjoyed this series and I'm sure I will revisit it at some point.

I'm so glad I stuck through this. It was heartbreaking at first but the ending is really good. I wish sensei could have given us an extra one-shot though (hopefully there's one coming). Anyway, a lot of people are against incest. But for me, especially when it's written this beautifully, I can't help but disagree and just tell them to give it a chance. This was a rare type of incest (father/son) since we always encounter incest between siblings, cousins, etc. Not a father-son pair. But we have to put in mind that at the beginning the other party was not aware of it, and Ryou, just couldn't help but to fall in love with the young Konomi. I think that if they met in different circumstances, say in the present, they would still fall in love with each other. They were just destined to have this ill-fated love. And it's all the more beautiful because they love each other so much to the point of disregarding morals. I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for, "as long as we understand what we have" type of situations. I'm so happy for these two. If sensei were to continue this I bet she'll just show us Ryou and Konomi growing old together, living happily. Ahhh so beautiful!!! She's amazing at combining amazing plot + beautiful love story + sexy scenes in one story.

... Last updated on June 8th, 2012, 3:10pm

Now, I'm not really into parentxchild relationships, but this story got me. Like totally!!
The way the father is portrayed and the son's enamored feelings left me speechless and waiting for more.
It's so well written that you don't even feel disgusted or bad, but feel sad and sympathetic to the forbidden lovers. If you like yaoi, read it! I swear you won't regret it. Or maybe you will regret the fact that the scanlations take so much time to update...

The idea of the plot is not that unique- Going back into time, etc. But, I think it's what Ike sensei followed it up afterwards with, that made it a great manga. Honestly, I was expecting something along the lines of other BL mangas that does involve an incestuous relationship ("I don't care if you're my brother/father, let's just do it."), However, I was wrong- They don't just jump into the idea of being together. Ike-sensei took the time (3-4 chapters, a span of 5-7 years [?]), to show the thoughts and feelings over those years for both characters, leading up to the final decision of whether or not they should be together in the end.

I'm definitely looking forward to the upcoming chapters to this story. I've been a fan of Ike-sensei and this particular story does not disappoint (so far). I recommend reading this at least once!

The premise is good. I honestly thought it would be another run-of-the-mill type of yaoi, and... yeah, in some ways it is, but I just couldn't help but develop a certain fondness for the characters. I would def. give this a try. In the latest chapters, not only do the characters grow on you, but the plot seems to be getting better.

Edit: Another thing unique about this manga is that it never copped out. Some incest mangas veer into the "not really related by blood" trope, but not this one! They really truly are related, but the twist with this one is the whole time travel thing. Fear not, the time travel aspect takes a back seat to the human drama that unfolds so the manga isn't so much as plot driven but character driven.

I just get this vibe from this manga... it's a GOOD vibe, a unique vibe. The fact that I'm compelled to write about this (& after reading so many other yaoi+shoujo+shounen+josei+slice-of-life, etc) says something about the qualities this manga/story have. It certainly piqued my interest enough to make me remember this one.

... Last updated on July 23rd, 2013, 11:20pm

No comments so far? Well, I won't be rating this manga since it's not completely scanlated yet, thus I don't know how it will end but judging from the first 4 chapters I have to say: gotta love this story!

I generally like Ike Reibun manga, but I find Not Equal especially charming. Hell yeah, I'm a fan of incest-manga, and Not Equal even has time skip/time travel, so I guess I was destined to love it. x'3 The characters are fresh and lovely - though young Daddy is kind of dense and blushing all the time, he's still cute. And it's interesting to see how Son from the Future and Dad of the Past slowly fall in love.^^

Nothing left to say, I'm eagerly waiting for the next chapters!

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UPDATE 06/12: So, it's finally finished! Wow. I really loved the way the story went on, the fears and doubts about the incestous relationship were were portrayed in a nice and >real< way. I'm happy for them. The last couple of chapters however... it was still nice and emotional but still, I felt like something was slightly off. I can't explain it well.
Nevertheless, Not Equal is a truly great piece of work from Ike Reibun and I'm very happy I could follow its progress. Highly recommended!

... Last updated on June 8th, 2012, 11:27pm