The final episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sunday 9pm) starring Satoshi Tsumabuki was broadcast on December 14th. The ending of the story of Koichi (Meguro Ren) and Kurisu (Koichi Sato), who were entrusted with Kozo's (Ren Meguro) dream of winning the Arima Kinen, drew praise from viewers, with some saying it was an "amazing final episode" and "a happy ending beyond imagination."
◇The following contains spoilers
The 2025 Arima Kinen will feature Koichi's Royal Family, Nobuyuki's (played by Taishi Nakagawa) So Perfect, and Rainbow Camp and Big Hope, both owned by Nobuyuki's father, Shiina (played by Sawamura Kazuki). Big Hope is the offspring of Royal Hope, born from a collaboration between Shiina and Kozo.
Royal Family took the lead in the final stretch, but ended up finishing second, with Big Hope winning by a narrow margin.
Koichi then withdrew Royal Family's retirement. In 2026, Royal Family returned to the Arima Kinen as the favorite and achieved their long-awaited victory. Kurisu and Koichi embraced each other and raised their fists, shouting, "Family!"
On social media, people were talking about the show, saying things like, "The ending was beyond my imagination and I couldn't stop crying," "It was an amazing final episode... breathtaking," "The afterglow is amazing...," "A happy ending beyond my imagination," "I cried every episode and cried a lot in the final episode, and the way the plot was resolved was so brilliant that it made me cry even more," and "Thank you for the ultimate betrayal and the ultimate happy ending."
