The upcoming Japanese romantic drama starring Ko Shibasaki and Eiji Akaso arrives on Netflix globally in late 2026.

Picture: One Year to Live, Buy a Man – Netflix

One Year to Live, Buy a Man, based on Toriko Yoshikawa’s novel of the same name, is coming to Netflix on November 5, 2026. The film stars Ko Shibasaki as Yui Katakura, a woman with a year left to live, who enters into an unconventional arrangement with nightclub host Sena (Eiji Akaso). Here’s everything we know about One Year to Live, Buy a Man on Netflix.

One Year to Live, Buy a Man is an upcoming Japanese Netflix Original romantic drama film adapted from the novel of the same name by Toriko Yoshikawa (Kodansha Bunko). The film is directed by Hiroki Kazama (The Beginning of the Sea), and written by Yoshikazu Okada (Beyond Goodbye). Kasumi Yao and Tsutomu Hirabayashi are producers with AOI Pro, the production studio.

Netflix has officially confirmed that One Year to Live, Buy a Man will be released globally on November 5, 2026.

An official trailer for the film has been released by Netflix on YouTube.

Netflix has provided a synopsis for the film:

Saving money is the best entertainment and the perfect way to kill time.” So said Yui Katakura, a 40-year-old single woman. She has deliberately avoided anything she deems to be uneconomical, including romance, marriage and childbirth. During a free medical examination, she is diagnosed with cancer and told she only has a year left to live. Although the doctor urges surgery, Yui secretly feels relief. “If I’m going to die, there’s no need to save money anymore.” Her life shifts when Sena, a pink-haired nightclub host down on his luck, unexpectedly approaches asking “Can you lend me some money?”. Yui responds by “buying” him for 720,000 yen. What begins as an odd arrangement gradually becomes a warm, unconventional bond, and to their surprise, an unpredictable love gradually starts to take shape between.

Ko Shibasaki and Eiji Akaso are the only confirmed cast members so far.

Ko Shibasaki plays Yui Katakura. The actress has yet to star in a Netflix project and will be making her Netflix debut in One Year to Live, Buy a Man. She has led Japanese films such as Serpent’s Path, Phases of the Moon, Silent Parade, and Nobunaga Concerto: The Movie. She also starred in the beloved 2000 film Battle Royale.

Picture: Ko Shibasaki in Serpent’s Path (left) and Nobunaga Concerto: The Movie (right)

Eiji Akaso plays Sena. The actor has starred in two Netflix projects: the series Inheritance Detective, playing the lead role of Haie Nao, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, in the lead role of Tendou Akira.

Picture: Eiji Akaso in Inheritance Detective (left) and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (right)

Additional cast members:

• 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 one of Sena’s top clients.
• Koen Kondo plays a doctor.

Are you looking forward to watching One Year to Live, Buy a Man on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!