The eighth episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sundays at 9pm), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, was broadcast on November 30th, and the transformation of jockey Saki Ryujiro, played by Takasugi Mahiro, added luster to the story.
◇The following contains spoilers
Koichi (Meguro Ren) inherited the "Royal Family" from his father, Koichi Sato Kozo (Ren Meguro), and became an "inheritance-only horse owner." He is unable to express his feelings and thoughts effectively, and the bond within "Team Royal" gradually becomes uneasy.
With the help of Kurisu (Tsumabuki), Koichi once again met with Hironaka (Ando Masanobu), Saki, and other team members. He explained that his plan was to win the Arima Kinen two years from now, but that he wanted to take his time and create a plan that would allow his family to win at Arima. He also explained that he wanted to have Shohei (Ichihara Shogo), a member of the Royal Family, ride in place of Saki. This was in anticipation of Shohei's future growth.
"Thank you so much for racing with me all this time!" Kurisu expressed his gratitude, to which Saki replied with a smile, "A race is only a moment, but I think a jockey runs with every moment in their heart for the rest of their life. There are countless moments living inside me," as he left Team Royal.
Shohei and the Royal Family are off to a good start with three consecutive wins, but they are faced with So Perfect, ridden by Shiina's (Kazuki Sawamura) son, Nobuyuki (Taishi Nakagawa). So Perfect, whose strength exceeds that of the Royal Family, is ridden by Saki.
On social media, people were talking about how "Saki looked so cool as he left that he instantly changed jobs to become a super strong opponent," "I thought it was crazy that Saki would go to his rival's side, but in reality this is normal, he is a jockey after all," "I'm so glad that Saki is Mahiro. He looked so cool as he left, and it was also good that he chose to live a life where he would win properly afterwards," "Saki...! Is he the final boss!?", "Saki's a rival - I wonder what will happen next," and "Ryujiro, you were the final boss?"
