The final episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sunday 9:00 PM), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, was broadcast on December 14th. The remarks made by Kyoko (Kuroki Hitomi), the wife of the late Sanno Kozo (Sato Koichi Sato), brought tears to the eyes of viewers.
◇The following contains spoilers
Kozo's illegitimate son Koichi (Ren Meguro), who has been entrusted with the dream of winning the Arima Kinen, has announced that his horse, Royal Family, will retire after the 2025 Arima Kinen.
On the day of the Arima Kinen, Kyoko, who has come to the racetrack with her son Yutaro (Kotaro Koizumi), asks Koichi if he enjoyed life as a horse owner. Koichi replies that it was always hard work, but winning makes it worth it. Kyoko laughs, saying, "You're saying the same thing as Sanno."
The result of the race was that "Big Hope," created by a team of Shiina (Kazuki Sawamura) and Kozo, came in first place, with Royal Family losing by a narrow margin.
"I couldn't win again. Now all the horses I've supported have lost. I'll probably never come to the racetrack again."
Both Kurisu (Tsumabuki) and Yutaro were surprised by Kyoko's "true feelings," as she had publicly declared that she hates horse racing. On social media, comments included, "I burst into tears when Kuroki Hitomi first appeared," "Every race lost was so sad," "Kuroki Hitomi's performance was great. She hates horse racing, but she cheers for the horses of people she cares about, which made me cry," "When his wife said, 'Every horse I cheer for loses,' it made me realize that she has been cheering for Koichi's horses up until now, and it made me love her for how clumsy and difficult to understand she is," and "Everyone was good, but Kuroki Hitomi was really good."
