The final episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sunday 9:00 PM), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, was broadcast on December 14th. The "acting battle" between Koichi (Ren Meguro) and Nobuyuki (Taishi Nakagawa) was met with praise from viewers.
◇The following contains spoilers
Nobuyuki's So Perfect continued his overwhelming run and emerged as the leading contender for the Arima Kinen, while Koichi's Royal Family won the GI Japan Cup and met the requirements to compete in the Arima Kinen.
At a dinner party with Koichi, Kurisu (Tsumabuki), and Aiso (Yoshizawa Yu), Nobuyuki confesses that he dislikes his father, horse owner Shiina (Sawamura Kazuki). "Ko-chan, don't become a slave to 'inheritance,' even though you keep talking about inheritance. Inheritance may sound noble, but it's basically just carrying over debts. You don't live to clean up after your parents," he urges Koichi.
The Arima Kinen race is upon us. Before the race, Nobuyuki comes to Koichi and declares war with a sharp look in his eyes, saying, "I'm going to win, leaving you, my father, and everyone else behind. I'm going to rip away that old, clingy dream you're holding onto." Koichi calmly but passionately responds, "Nobu-kun denies inheriting the business, but you can't rip away my dream. Because it's not my father's dream, it's my dream."
Koichi continued, "Inheritance is not something that is forced upon you. It is something that you choose. There is as much to inherit as there are people who receive it. I wanted to receive the dream and make it my own," he said with a straight look in his eyes. When Nobuyuki retorted, "It would be uncool if I lost," Koichi declared, "I will win, I will definitely win." The two glared at each other.
On social media, the show became a hot topic, with comments such as, "The confrontation between Taishi Nakagawa and Ren Meguro is the best, it's thrilling," "I've always loved the comradeship between Ren Meguro and Taishi Nakagawa is Ren Meguro the best," "The acting battle between Ren Meguro and Taishi Nakagawa was great! I'd like to see them again in another drama," "Meguro Ren and Nakagawa Taishi looked really cool next to each other, they suited each other perfectly," "The contrast between Koichi and Nobuyuki was also excellent...I'd love to see another drama or movie where these two are rivals," and "I'm excited to see more of the passionate exchanges between these two."
