The eighth episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sundays at 9pm), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, aired on November 30th. The final scene in which Nakajo Koichi (Ren Meguro) and Shiina Nobuyuki (Taishi Nakagawa) confront each other caused a stir on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers
After the death of his father, Sanno Kozo (played by Koichi Sato), Koichi inherited the "Royal Family" and became an "inheritance-only horse owner." Believing it to be his responsibility to continue to nurture his family's horses even after they retire, Koichi set his sights on winning the Arima Kinen Race in two years' time, and shared this desire with his teammates, "Team Royal."
In 2024, the Royal Family changed jockeys from Saki Ryujiro (Takasugi Mahiro) to Nozaki Shohei (Ichihara Shogo) and embarked on a new start. After three consecutive wins, the family was thrust into the limelight, but a rival horse, So Perfect, stood in their way. The horse was purchased by Nobuyuki, the son of Shiina (Sawamura Kazuki), a rival of Kozo, and was ridden by Saki, who had left Team Royal.
On the day that So Perfect won the race by a landslide, Nobuyuki spotted Koichi at the racetrack and hugged him, saying, "Thanks to you, Kou-chan, cutting off Ryujiro, we suddenly have the strongest duo!" He then blurted out, "I'm sorry, (So Perfect) was the horse you had your eye on too."
"Not at all. As long as I have my family, that's all I need," Koichi replied. "I don't care about being the strongest or being from the strongest generation. I want to win the Arima Kinen with my family. That's all I need. It's okay to have an owner like this, right?," he challenged, and Nobuyuki glared at him.
On social media, the episode was met with comments such as, "The stare-down between Koichi and Nobuyuki at the end was thrilling!", "The rivalry between the Sannou and Shiina families has been faithfully carried on," "Koichi's aura has changed! It was thrilling!" and "I can't stop watching Koichi's explosive final scene."
