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| One Year to Live, Buy a Man: Is Netflix’s Japanese Romantic Drama Based on Real Events? |
Netflix’s One Year to Live, Buy a Man might sound like the sort of romantic drama that takes an unusually bold approach to finding love, but is there a real-life story behind its unusual premise? Directed by Hiroki Kazama, the Japanese film follows a 40-year-old woman who discovers she has cervical cancer and decides to spend her remaining time enjoying life rather than continuing to worry about money, work and everything else she has spent years trying to control.
Her unexpected decision to hire a younger man for companionship sets up an unconventional relationship that gradually becomes much more meaningful than either initially expects. Although its subject matter feels grounded in real experiences, the film is not based on an actual person or documented series of events. Instead, One Year to Live, Buy a Man is a fictional story adapted from Toriko Yoshikawa’s novel of the same name.
Written by Yoshikazu Okada, the film takes inspiration from Yoshikawa’s literary work while exploring questions that are considerably bigger than its unusual romantic arrangement. At its centre is Yui, a woman who has spent much of her adult life being careful with money and placing financial security above personal enjoyment. She has become so accustomed to planning for tomorrow that she has barely considered what she actually wants from today. That changes dramatically when she receives her diagnosis and is told that she may have only one year left to live.
Rather than immediately following the expected route, Yui refuses chemotherapy and decides to approach her remaining time differently. She starts spending money more freely, makes room for experiences she previously avoided and attempts to discover what happiness means when there is no longer a distant future to prepare for. After years of being sensible, she suddenly has permission to be rather less sensible. It is an interesting change of direction, even if the circumstances behind it are hardly something anyone would wish for.
One of her decisions is to pay Sena, a handsome man in his late 20s, to spend time with her. What initially appears to be a straightforward arrangement gradually develops into an emotional connection that neither can easily define. Their relationship raises questions about whether affection can grow from a financial agreement and whether companionship becomes less genuine simply because money was involved at the beginning.
As Yui's condition progresses, her understanding of the future also begins to change. The freedom she initially embraced comes with difficult questions about whether refusing treatment was the right decision and whether she has truly found what she was looking for. Sena, meanwhile, becomes more than someone whose company she has purchased. Their growing attachment forces both characters to reconsider what they expect from one another and what genuine companionship actually looks like.
The novel and its film adaptation are fictional, but that does not mean their central themes are disconnected from reality. One Year to Live, Buy a Man explores the complicated experiences of people living with serious illness, particularly the difficult decisions surrounding medical treatment, personal freedom and quality of life. Yui's refusal of chemotherapy is an important part of the narrative, with the story examining bodily autonomy without suggesting that declining treatment is a simple or universally appropriate decision.
The film is more interested in how the diagnosis changes Yui's relationship with herself than in presenting a conventional medical drama. Before receiving the news, she approaches nearly every decision through the lens of financial security. Afterwards, she begins questioning why she spent so much time saving for a future she never really allowed herself to enjoy. Her attitude towards money changes, but the bigger transformation concerns her understanding of happiness, independence and human connection.
Another interesting element is the film's examination of paid companionship and the complicated boundaries between professional arrangements and personal affection. Yui hires Sena because she wants someone beside her, but their relationship becomes increasingly difficult to categorise. Is it simply a business arrangement, an unexpected friendship or something more romantic? The film deliberately avoids providing an easy answer.
Their age difference also adds another layer to the relationship. Yui is approaching a period of her life that she never expected to face so soon, while Sena is still navigating his own uncertainties. Their different circumstances create an unusual dynamic, particularly as the emotional expectations surrounding their arrangement begin to change. The story does not insist that every decision made by its characters is right or wrong. Instead, it allows different perspectives to exist, which makes the relationship more interesting than a straightforward romance.
For viewers looking for similar films, its combination of illness, humour, personal discovery and unexpected companionship may bring to mind 50/50 (2011), directed by Jonathan Levine, The Bucket List (2007), directed by Rob Reiner, and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015), directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. Each explores how difficult circumstances can change people's priorities and relationships, although they approach those subjects through different characters and storytelling styles.
Sena's profession also provides an important part of the film's social background. He works as a host at a Japanese nightclub, an industry built around male employees entertaining female customers through conversation, drinks, attention and companionship. Host clubs are a distinctive part of Japan's nightlife culture, where customers often pay for an experience centred on being listened to, appreciated and entertained.
For Sena, making people feel comfortable is part of his professional routine. He encounters customers with different personalities, expectations and reasons for visiting the club. However, his connection with Yui presents a different challenge. Unlike an ordinary customer, she gradually becomes someone whose emotional needs and personal circumstances cannot simply be handled through the usual rules of his profession.
This also allows the film to explore the influence of money on human relationships. Sena initially receives payment for his time, but the development of genuine affection complicates the arrangement. Money might establish the terms of an agreement, but it cannot necessarily determine what two people eventually feel. Apparently, even a paid companionship arrangement has the potential to become emotionally complicated. Who would have thought?
The film also offers a subtle observation about financial independence and the pressure to live responsibly. Yui's previous lifestyle reflects a familiar experience: spending years working, saving and avoiding unnecessary expenses because the future always seems more important than the present. Yet when that future suddenly becomes uncertain, she discovers that financial security alone cannot provide everything she needs.
My opinion is that One Year to Live, Buy a Man has a particularly interesting premise because it refuses to treat romance as the only important part of its story. Yui's relationship with Sena might attract viewers initially, but the more compelling question is why she waited so long to give herself permission to enjoy life. Her sudden change in attitude is admittedly dramatic, and some of her decisions might frustrate viewers who prefer more conventional character development.
Still, that unpredictability gives the film its personality. Sena is also an intriguing character because his profession makes it difficult to separate genuine affection from the expectations attached to paid companionship. The film's biggest strength is its willingness to explore uncomfortable questions without turning every scene into a lecture. It has humour, emotional depth and an unusual romantic dynamic. Most importantly, it reminds viewers that having a financially secure future and actually enjoying the present are two very different things.
Ultimately, One Year to Live, Buy a Man is not a true story, nor is it presented as a direct account of someone else's experience. It is a fictional adaptation of Toriko Yoshikawa's novel, using an unconventional romance to explore illness, personal freedom, financial anxiety and the importance of human connection.
Its premise might initially sound like an unusual romantic comedy, but there is considerably more going on beneath the surface. If you have watched the film, what did you think of Yui and Sena's relationship? Did their connection feel convincing, or was the unusual arrangement difficult to accept? Share your thoughts, because this is certainly one of those films that can leave viewers with very different opinions.