The first episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sundays at 9:00 PM), starring actor Satoshi Tsumabuki, aired on October 12th, recording an average household audience rating of 11.7% (according to Video Research, Kanto region, same below), getting off to a double-digit start. The individual audience rating for the episode was 6.8%.
The drama is set in the world of horse racing and tells the story of a man and a racehorse over a 20-year period, where miracles are made possible through the bonds of family and friends. Tsumabuki plays tax accountant Eiji Kurisu, and the cast also includes Koichi Sato, Ren Meguro, and Wakana Matsumoto.
In the first episode, tax accountant Eiji Kurisu (Tsumabuki) experiences a setback and is unable to find hope after a certain incident. One day, Kurisu is asked to conduct a fact-finding survey to investigate Royal Human's horse racing business in preparation for its abolition, and travels to Hokkaido to visit Sanno Kozo (Sato), the autocratic president who is pushing the business forward. Kurisu, who had no connection to horse racing, is overwhelmed by Kozo's energy, but is also moved by the bond he forms with horses and people. Furthermore, a reunion with an ex-girlfriend in Hokkaido changes Kurisu's life... and so the story unfolds.
