The ninth episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sundays at 9 PM), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, aired on December 7th. Mikako Ichikawa, who plays the highly skilled but eccentric veterinarian Sawatari Yuki, has been a hot topic on social media, with comments such as "She's perfect for this role" and "Her presence is incredible."
◇The following contains spoilers
During the Autumn Emperor's Cup, the Royal Family lost their balance and threw off the jockey Shohei (played by Ichihara Shogo). Both Shohei and the family suffered fractures. It was later discovered that the family was suffering from a corneal stromal abscess, a buildup of pus in the middle layer of the cornea in their right eye. In the worst case scenario, they could go blind.
Although a corneal transplant is a possible treatment, there are no veterinarians in Japan who can perform corneal transplants on horses. While Kurisu (Tsumabuki) and his team are at a loss, they learn of a veterinarian in France named Sawatari Yuki who can perform corneal transplants.
Koichi (Ren Meguro) decides to go to France to meet Sawatari. Although Sawatari initially refused his request for a corneal transplant, Koichi persistently negotiated with him, pleading, "What I'm asking isn't to be cured. I want to win. I want to be cured so that I can win."
Sawatari, who had previously met Koichi's father, Kozo (Koichi Sato), said, "That's a bit of a stretch, for both father and son."
After that, Sawatari returned to Japan and met Kurisu. He said with a mischievous laugh, "You're the manager? You're doing a good job. Two generations of owners have been troublesome... what a strange guy."
Social media was buzzing with excitement, with comments such as "Mikako Ichikawa's presence is incredible," "Mikako Ichikawa is just too good," "Mikako's '...eccentric' is the best," "Mikako Ichikawa was used in a very extravagant way," "Mikako Ichikawa is perfect for this kind of role," "It was a role that was perfect for Mikako Ichikawa. She's natural yet cool," and "There's no doubt this is a drama with Mikako Ichikawa in it."
