The ninth episode of the TBS Sunday drama "GIFT," starring actor Shinichi Tsutsumi, aired on June 7th. Keijiro (Kyohei Honda) declared to Ryo (Yuki Yamada) that he was a rival in love, saying, "I'm going to stop liking Hitomi (Kasumi Arimura). I'll stop until I surpass you. I've decided to turn my love into strength." This excited viewers.
◇The following contains spoilers.
After the Bulls secured their place in the final tournament of the Japanese Championship, Keijiro and Ryo were left alone on the practice court.
Keijiro, who had noticed that Hitoka had special feelings for Ryo, declared, "I'm going to stop liking Hitoka." To Ryo's surprise, who asked, "Were you serious (about your feelings for Hitoka)?", Keijiro replied, "Of course. I'm always serious."
He further raised his intensity by saying, "I'm not going to quit until I surpass you. I've decided to turn my love into strength," but Ryo didn't take him seriously, saying, "That doesn't seem to mean anything. Oh well."
On social media, comments included: "Keijiro's determination not to lose, both in love and as a teammate, really came through," "Keijiro's feelings when he said he would stop liking Hitomi until he surpassed Ryo were heartbreaking, but the way he looked at the end showed that they were rivals and respected each other, which was really great," and "The way he said, 'I'm going to stop liking Hitomi,' was so typical of Keijiro. I really liked that he didn't say, 'I'm giving up.'"
The drama follows Wu Tetsuya, a genius astrophysicist played by Tsutsumi, as he solves difficult problems facing the underdog team "Blaze Bulls" from his unique perspective. It's a story of redemption where the team, friends, and family reconnect.
