I have read many reviews in here. As much as I agree with some point of view, I think people need to remember that it is in Japan, not Amercica or an european country. Japan is a coutry with very high discrimination against LGBTQ. No laws are provided to protect them, and families are very much patriarcal. So, children are pushed by their family to be married, even quiet young as your considered old past 30.

Characters:
Eiji (Eichan): Openly gay, extrovert, cook in a restaurant. Come from a rich family with patriarcal values.
Mieko (Takagi): A girl looking for love, friend with Makio at school
Makio (Makki): Extrovert and friendly. Popular with girls at school. He is discovering his sexuality with Eiji.

Why do I talk about that in here? Well, this drama is realistic to a T. Mieko, Makio and Eiji became friends wile working in a restaurant part time.

Mieko wasn't really loved by anyone, neglected by her mother and beaten by her boyfriend, she quickly got attached to Makki. He was, at the beggining, really secretive about his sexuality. We discover than Eiji is gay when Mieko and Makki talked about him (Ep01). Eiji was slowly falling in love with Makki, But Makio's sexiality wasn't clear. So, even if Eiji told Mieko he had feelings for him, she tried to push Makki with a girl from school called Sakaki. At the end of ep02, she predicted that Makki will be the one leaving her because he is so popular.

Mieko started to get closer to Eiji (Ep03), and Makki started to notice. And we discover that Eiji is quiet insecure by comparing himself to his sister. Makki became more protective of Eiji about it and Mieko saw the changes in Makki towards Eiji. Eiji is also not out to his family. Mieko gets close to Eiji's sister Chisa but cracks started to appear as Makki and Mieko started to get jealous of each other. While arguying, the conversation about Eiji turned out into a coming out to his sister and him telling Makki he likes him. However, Makki, still trying to understand his feeling, tells him that he doesn't have the relashionship with Mieko that Eiji has. He also tells him that he's not interested by any girls, but that going out with Eiji is more appealing to him.

In ep04, Makki tells Mieko he decided to go out with Eiji. But, we are quickly introduced to Eiji's family. However, Eiji doesn't really say anything to his parents, making them think that he has a relationship with Mieko, while Mieko watched those two falling for each other. She stay close to them as she could find a way to protect them both taward Eiji's family. In the other hand, Sakaki admit to Mieko that she will be dating someone else, because she deserve to be happy with someone who likes her as much as she likes him. In Eiji appartment, Eiji and Makki kissed for the first time. The started to spend more time together and got closer and closer. Mieko soon discovered that her friends were to a new level in their relationship (condom in the bin). She realised that she wasn't part of their world anymore because she couldn't be at their level in the relationship. During Christmas, Eiji's parents started to push him to bring Mieko. at the end of ep04, Eiji decide to come out and tell his parent he's dating Makki. In Eiji's apartment, Mieko and Makki are preparing the flat for christmas as a surprise for Eiji.

In ep 05, we soon discover that Eiji's mum is not really surprised. However, Eiji's father doesn'tt approve of his sexuality and say that it is fine for a while but nobody can know about it. Few years have passed and soon Mieko and Makki will graduate. Eiji's dad saw Makki at the apartment while Eiji was away. He became curious about their relationship. He explain to Makki that even if he understand their relashionship, he is a father who want to protect his son against the society explaining how violent people can be towards gays. After that, we see that Eiji has changed. Not only he is getting less "gay", first changing his hair colour to natural, and than telling Makki that he will be joining his dad's company that he never wanted at the beggining. Makki started to drft apart from Eiji and Mieko. The conversation with the dad and Eiji started to make him rethink about his future with him. When he came back to the apartment, he played like nothing happened. He casualy asked Eiji if he has ever been interested in girls, and Eiji told him the he was his first love.

In ep 06, after leaving his apprentiship in Kimono making, Eiji join his father's company. After ofering them the kimono he has made for them, he tells both Miako and Makki that his dad want to see all of them. But the lunch wasn't what they expected as his dad told them to break-up as having grand-children his the most important. He doesn't understand how a man can choose to love another man. With that, we understant that he still believe it's a choice. Seing Eiji's cry for help to keep his father happy Mieko offered to be a surrogate mother for them and tried to convince Makki.But, Makki is not convince that will stop Eiji's father. She remind them she never was really interested in men, or even wanted to be married. Time passes, and they all working hard in their jobs. Eiji is growing into realising that both Eiji and Mieko are doing something to make each other happy. Lieko will have a child wouthout the love of a man, and Eiji will have a child for his dad to be happy. But were does that make Makki happy. He was happy just by beeing with Eiji, but it wasn't enaught. They all went to the seaside in an hotel and she has sex both Eiji and Makki. We soon discover that she's pregnant.

In ep07. Miako tell her mother she's pregnant. Her mum congratulate her. She didn't expect this reaction. She became interested by her daughter, and wanted to be closer. During the pregnancy, Makki drift apart.While talking to Miako, he asked a lot of question she had no answer to. It shows that they made the decision without thinking about him at all. The baby wasn't his, and never will be. Even if she lied that she's not sure who the father is, it will not include him. His love for Eiji changed as he didn't feel he was needed and wasn't happy anymore. Makki decided that it was time for him to leave them. He went to his own apartment. We see that Miako and Eiji start to have a normal married life, and Eiji put the kimonos and memories of Makki away.

In ep 8, Eiji is started to feel that he miss Makki, even if he has a wife an a kid on the way. He's happy, but someone is missing. His family came after the birth of their grand-daughter. They cried of joy. Miako and Eiji talked at the appartment about their feeling toward Makki. She never wanted to loose him, and the lies she told about the child being his was only to keep him close. Eiji tells her that she's loved by many people, so she shouldn't have regrets. In the other hand, Makki meet his neighbour and old classmate Asato. He's an assistant hairdresser. They quickly get close. Asato is really responsible and mature compare to Makki. Makki finaly tells him about Miako and Eiji.

Ep9 start straight from end of ep 08 when Makki talks about them. But he didn't tell the whole story. Asato ask him if he wanted to eat with him every evening, revealing a bit more about Asato's loneliness seen in the previous episode. Asato is not really into his job. Makki tries to be close to Asato, and makes a move on him. He tells Asato that he doesn't really understand the deal with who you love. Loving guy or loving girls is the same to him. We can see that Makki is a person who do what he like without care of anyone's opinion. He tells Asato to do what he wants. Asato open up about his family, and we realise that he acted the oposite way to Eiji. Makki pushes Asato to open his heart to him. They became very close and feelings grows between them but they don't want to be tied-up. Also, Asato is hot and cold in the relationship, not really knowing what he wants. Later at night, while going through picture from work, Makki sees a picture of Miako. The wound that he thought was closed reopened.

Ep10 (final), After a few days without news from Makki, Asato looked for him. Makki tels the whole story about them. We see a bit more of Asato by his big brother, and understand a bit more about him. One day, while a the salon, Asato saw Miako. He asked her if she knew Makki. She jump at him asking him where he lives and promise to contact her if he knows. He didn't say anything to her. In the evening, Asato tells Makki about it. Asato tell him that he needs closure, but he is scared. He blame himself for all this, and he also can't forgive them for putting him in this situation. Asato feels ready to let him in and promise to do his best to be there for him. So, few days later, Asato bring him to a restaurant to see Mieko and Eiji. We can see the pain in their eyes and how much Makki was hurt, even if he was trying to hide it. He tries to reassures them by saying that the two of them seems right. Back in Eiji's appartment, they look happy to have seen him again but its just a facade. When alone, they both felt the heartbrake. But the whorse was for Eiji. who, despide everything, is still gay. While playing dad, he didn't realised how much he missed Eiji (flashbacks of their relationship) and cried for the love he will never be able to get back. He only has pictures of his daughter in the appartment were he shared his first kiss with Makki. but nothing about his relationship. Eiji will now just be a memory to him. In the other hand, Asato confort Makki to help him move forward and tell him that he loves him (but not to heavely). Also Asato tries to be closer to his grandfather before it's too late. Some times later, Makkii and Mieko talk again to each other. We see their complicity as it was at the begining, before all the love story. But at the same time, they both going to different direction.

Asano Taeko is very much an activist on the position of a woman in Japan. Here, you can see how Mieko is treated. She wasn't loved by her family until she was pregnant, and used as a procreator. Her role is second to everyone else. Of course, the drama is about relationships and not only focused on sexuality, but you have to remember that the woman, as important as she is, is pushed aside. where is her hapiness? In her daughter. That is important in the political point of view in a patriarcal society. If people were able to love who they love, she wouldn't be in that situation, and may have found real love. But pushed by the society, she pushed hapiness aside in the name of duty.

Of course, this is only my understanding, and I may have missed something (I am not fluent in japanese, so I may have misunderstood something). But it can give you an overall view of the drama. It's more complicated than some reviews said, and the context needs to be considered while watching it. It is important as it's also a political point of view on relationship in Japan. J-Drama are very realistic in they interpretation of BL. In 2022, from Minato Shouji Coin Laundry to Takara-kun to Amagi-kun, we can see that the take in BL is beautiful with real emotion.