The final episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sunday 9:00 PM), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, aired on December 14th. The plot, in which Koichi, played by Ren Meguro of the popular group Snow Man, goes from being an "inheritance-only horse owner" to a "horse owner," caused a stir on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers
At the 2025 Arima Kinen, Koichi's racehorse, Royal Family, was defeated in a photo finish by Big Hope, the offspring of Kozo (played by Koichi Sato) and Shiina (played by Kazuki Sawamura).
The scene shifts to 2030, with Koichi being interviewed by reporter Taira (Kenjiro Tsuda), who asks him, "How do you feel now that you have officially become a horse owner?"
To become a registered horse owner with the Japan Racing Association (JRA), one must meet strict criteria, including being able to "continuously own and manage horses." Viewers have expressed various opinions on how Koichi managed to become a horse owner in just five years.
Viewers were drawn to the network's drama "Trillion Game" (2023), which depicts two college students, Haru (Meguro) and Gaku (Hayato Sano), who earn $1 trillion in unconventional ways and rise to the top in their quest to obtain everything in the world.
Referring to this drama, social media has been a hot topic, with comments such as, "I wonder how Koichi ended up making his fortune and becoming a horse owner. I wonder if he played Trillion Game over the course of five years," "If you play Trillion Game, it seems like you could easily become a horse owner," and "Meguro from Trillion Game would certainly start out as a horse owner with a light-hearted attitude, and it would probably end up being a huge success."
Furthermore, a hilarious hypothesis spread that Meguro's main job with Snow Man had become Koichi's side job. People were excited, with comments like, "Koichi became a horse owner in just five years, so maybe he worked hard with his side job as Snow Man and built up enough assets to become a horse owner," "If Koichi earned enough to become a horse owner, then he must have been working as Snow Man and doing a side job as Ren Meguro," "It's funny how Nakajo Koichi's startup funding is split between the Snow Man side job theory and the Trillion Game theory," and "Ren Meguro played Trillion Game, became an idol, and then became a horse owner."
