An Unexpected Cinderella Story for Grown-Ups: Netflix Film 'One Year to Live, Buy a Man' Premieres November 5

Yui Katakura is a 40-year-old single woman who's serious about saving money - she's written off romance and marriage as bad investments and shaped her life around that belief. But a free cancer screening delivers unexpected news: she has one year left to live. Instead of fear, what she feels is a strange sense of freedom - if she's going to die soon, she doesn't need to save anymore. That's when Sena, a pink-haired host with a complicated past, walks into her life and asks, out of nowhere, to borrow money. Yui's answer is just as unexpected: she'll "buy" him for ¥720,000. Her first-ever adventure in extravagance begins.

Based on the novel of the same name, which won the 28th Shimazaki Romance Literary Award in 2021, the film stars Ko Shibasaki and Eiji Akaso in a powerhouse double lead. Director Hiroki Kazama (Silent, Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! The Movie) brings the novel's tender outlook on life to the screen, while the screenplay comes from Yoshikazu Okada (The 8-Year Engagement, Beyond Goodbye). Together, they approach the subject of mortality from a new angle, carefully building a charming, humor-filled world that invites audiences to reconsider the brilliance of life.

Bound by a lopsided ¥720,000 "contract" - the product of two equally bold decisions - Yui spends her remaining time dragging Sena along to fulfill the down-to-earth dreams she's always denied herself: watching a movie in premium seats, visiting a game center, shopping without restraint in a department store's basement food hall. Yui starts out putting on a brave front, but as time passes and she shares more "firsts" with Sena, she begins to let her guard down, her face lighting up in ways she never expected. Yet the feelings that bloom between two people who were never supposed to connect soon turn painful, until Yui finds herself wondering whether it would be easier to simply die sooner.

A woman who never wanted to rely on anyone, and a man who had no choice but to rely on someone - director Hiroki Kazama captures, in vivid, tender visuals, how a relationship that began with money slowly melts away their loneliness, until each becomes irreplaceable to the other. Breathtakingly poignant, the trailer leaves you wanting to see where this greatest "extravagance" of her lifetime will lead.

The key art unveiled alongside the trailer captures a striking image: Yui and Sena quietly gazing at each other inside a bright red bathtub. Having shed their clothes and facing each other with unguarded hearts, the distance and eye contact between them hint at a fate that goes beyond a simple contractual relationship.

Additional cast members were also announced. Michitaka Tsutsui plays Masami Ikuyama, Yui's ex-boss and former affair partner, who keeps tabs on her even after their relationship ended. Naomi Nishida plays Mizuho Maruyama, Yui's coworker - a wife and mother who throws herself into her passions, living by the motto "spending is love." Mari Hamada plays Sena's mother, who works to pay off debt while looking after her grandchild. Yui Narumi plays Nachi, Sena's younger sister, who has returned to their family home after escaping an abusive husband. Yoko Moriguchi plays Yui's stepmother, with whom she shares an uneasy relationship. Ryubi Miyase plays Kiriya, a junior host at Sena's club who Sena says reminds him of his younger self. Ichika Osaki plays as one of Sena's top clients and Koen Kondo plays a doctor - accomplished actors who breathe real warmth into Yui and Sena's world.

After watching the film, original author Toriko Yoshikawa shared a moving sentiment that echoes the warm energy the film radiates: "Meeting another person really is irreversible and irrevocable. Money reveals a person's values and character. People are lonely - but also funny and dear, not so bad after all. Watching this film, I cried, laughed, and gasped the whole way through; it stirred a dizzying mix of emotions in me. Living isn't so bad. I hope others feel that way too."

With an unconventional opening and a briskly paced story that somehow speaks straight to the heart, this unexpected Cinderella story for grown-ups is coming soon. One Year to Live, Buy a Man premieres on November 5, only on Netflix.

About One Year to Live, Buy a Man
Cast: Ko Shibasaki, Eiji Akaso
Michitaka Tsutsui, Naomi Nishida, Mari Hamada, Yui Narumi, Yoko Moriguchi, Ryubi Miyase
Ichika Osaki, Koen Kondo
Based on the novel "With One Year Left to Live, I Buy a Man" by Toriko Yoshikawa originally published by KODANSHA Ltd.
Written by Yoshikazu Okada
Director Hiroki Kazama
Music by Haruka Nakamura
Director of Photography Yoichi Kamakari
Lighting Director Keijiro Akiyama
Sound Recordists Hiroshi Ishigai
Production Designer Hiroyuki Wagatsuma
Set Decorator Masaki Owa
Costume Designer Noriko Sugimoto
Wardrobe Masaaki Suzuki
Hair & Make-Up Artists Takahiro Kanayama / Marie Kitayama
Script Supervisor Toshimi Tamura
First Assistant Directors Tomoya Ohguro / Keigo Endo
Production Managers Yoshihiro Miura / Yusuke Yoshioka
Editor Kenichi Hirai
Colorist Karol Kaczrowski
Re-Recording Mixer Yosuke Hamada
Sound Effects Sakura Katsumata
Post Production Supervisors Kentarou Yamakawa / Yuki Kamikubo
Executive Producer　Makiko Okano
Producers Kasumi Yao / Tsutomu Hirabayashi
Line Producer Toru Mori
In Association with AOI Pro.
Planned & Produced by Netflix

https://www.netflix.com/title/81505776

Release Date: November 5, 2026

#余命一年男をかう #One-year-to-live-Buy-a-man

Story: Yui Katakura (Ko Shibasaki), 40, is a single woman whose hobby is saving money. Diligently building a nest egg for retirement, her steady life is upended when a free cancer screening tells her she has only one year left to live. Amid the shock, a handsome pink-haired host named Yoshitaka Sena a.k.a. Ryuma (Eiji Akaso) suddenly appears before her, asking, "Could you lend me some money?" If she's going to die anyway, she no longer needs to save. Accepting his bold request, Yui "buys" Sena for ¥720,000. Their strange relationship takes an unexpected turn.