
Nonfiction Book
The only book revealing the hidden world of proxy services.
30 nonfiction stories by Family Romance founder Yuichi Ishii

This is Japan's only insider account of the proxy industry, written by Family Romance founder Yuichi Ishii, who drew from his own experiences working as a proxy staff member in the field and his interactions with various clients.
From the desperate reasons behind baby rentals, to a daughter who has believed Ishii is her real father for 10 years, to a request to stand in for a terminally ill client -- this book reveals the hidden world of "proxy services" through 30 nonfiction episodes that you can only learn about by reading.
With over 2,500 diverse staff nationwide ranging from infants to 80-year-olds, Family Romance handles an incredible variety of client needs: weddings, funerals, family proxy, friend proxy, scolding proxy, apology proxy, butler proxy, audience proxy, and more.
Questions This Book Answers
The founder himself reveals the inside story of Family Romance, the industry leader handling over 3,000 requests annually.
Based on episodes from this book, German master filmmaker Werner Herzog produced the film "Family Romance, LLC." It premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was screened at film festivals worldwide.
The episode that inspired the film: "A 'Father' Is Needed to Overcome a Child's Truancy"
The book contains 30 episodes. Some will make you laugh, others will bring you to tears. Because every story is nonfiction, drawn from Yuichi Ishii's own experiences as a proxy in the field, the content is intensely real and serious. Each episode is self-contained, making it easy to read in short sessions during free time or before bed.
Highlighting the most impactful stories from all 30 episodes

Shortly after founding Family Romance, a woman asked Ishii to "play the role of a real father" for her 10-year-old daughter. The girl had become truant because she grew up with a single parent. As the daughter gradually came to believe Ishii was her real father, he couldn't hide his confusion. How long could this ideal family last?
The episode that sparked the start of the proxy business. Ishii's anguish and decision when asked by a friend to play a father role.

One day, Ishii received a request: "Please meet the man my daughter has been chatting with on LINE, as a stand-in for my terminally ill daughter." The daughter and the man had met through the mother's injury. They grew close through LINE and even promised to have a Christmas wedding, but the daughter had an incurable disease. Her final wish was "use someone who looks like me to show him I'm healthy." Ishii agonized over whether to accept this request that could never have a happy ending.
What a terminally ill client wanted to leave behind after death.

A woman who was once a fairly well-known adult film actress, now secretly working night shifts without her husband knowing. Fearing exposure, she hired proxies for every wedding guest, from friends to coworkers. Every entertainment segment and VIP speech was performed by Family Romance staff. When the life story video played, what appeared was... Could the wedding proceed without the groom's side finding out?
The groom's full-body tattoos prevented him from attending his own wedding. Ishii's struggle performing as the substitute groom.

A request to stage a lavish birthday party to satisfy the need for social media validation.
Staging a lavish Las Vegas trip to boost social media influence. A large-scale 3-million-yen assignment.

A struggling gravure idol was about to face the humiliation of zero fans at her birthday party. Desperate to avoid this, she hired a large number of Family Romance staff as fans. Ishii's fan proxy team had no idea they would be the only ones there. When they entered the venue, what awaited them was beyond anything they expected.
At a comedy contest scored by audience votes, "a certain comedian" hired Family Romance to provide audience proxies. Every time his turn came, he received high scores and gradually advanced. Could he actually win the championship?

Apology proxies are divided into business and private matters. This was private: apologizing to a client's husband while posing as her affair partner. With the husband already furious, how could he avoid getting hurt? The strategy was to appear slightly intimidating to throw the other party off, but this time, the apology recipient was beyond anything expected.
A client who suspected their partner's behavior. A background investigation to uncover the truth.

A woman struggling with an eating disorder trying to overcome it by eating with someone.
A mother carrying a secret she can't tell anyone. The earnest wish to simply be heard.
Bookmeter rating 73% / Many high Amazon ratings
When I first heard "human rental," I assumed it was just a service for lonely people renting boyfriends, girlfriends, or family. But reading it, the clients' struggles are incredibly varied, and the rental staff must think on their feet to tackle these "unprecedented cases"! It's hard-boiled in its own way. The fact that people use human rental means there are things they must do even if it means bending the truth. You see the raw reality of human life. "Human rental" is a means for awkward people to temporarily escape "having no choice," and this book is packed with the resolve of those who play these temporary roles.
It arrived last night and I read it all in one sitting in my car before work this morning! Honestly, I was immediately shocked. I couldn't believe these requests were real at first, but as I kept reading, I started thinking maybe I'd use this service too if I ever had a problem I couldn't tell anyone. It reminded me that work is only worth doing when it helps people! This book gave me a great opportunity to rethink my own attitude toward work.
I impulse-bought it because "Human Rental" was such a power phrase. And it's way more interesting than I expected! Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say. Learning that a human rental service exists and is overflowing with demand completely shattered my worldview. Among all the proxy episodes, "A 165cm man who wants to become a little person" is a must-read (laugh). I never expected a book to spark my curiosity this much. I even feel like joining as staff myself! If another Human Rental book is published, I'd definitely buy it. Times have certainly changed!
"A human rental service with real added value. You can feel the sincerity beyond just business."
"Every rental exceeded my imagination. You can feel the heartfelt care put into each assignment."
"Read it in one sitting. A book I want to recommend to everyone."
"The CEO of a human rental company introduces real cases. I was surprised to learn some rentals are practically permanent."
We are seeking partners for various media adaptations based on the book
The impactful proxy episodes are perfect for manga adaptation. With diverse stories ranging from the dark underworld to heartwarming and humorous tales, featuring a wide variety of characters. The plots are easy to follow and captivating. Many scenes couldn't be fully expressed in the book, and editorial supervision is available.
All 30 episodes are true stories. These real proxy stories are ideal for visual adaptation. From organizational scenes unique to the company to the different character preparations for each assignment, viewers will never get bored. Detailed interactions that couldn't be expressed in the book can be supervised. The serious atmosphere of the field, in-house training, and staff guidance are expected to boost ratings.
Family Romance has attracted significant attention not only domestically but worldwide. This unique business generates interest in every country, with constant media inquiries wanting to "learn more." Currently published only in Japan, we are seeking international publishing partners.
We're looking for YouTubers who can produce "I tried using ___" videos similar to book episodes. Those who can include our URL in the video description receive a special collaboration discount of up to 50%.
Example ideas:
"I hired 10 rental butlers at once"
"I changed to a different rental father every 5 minutes"

For manga, film, TV drama, international publishing, YouTube collaboration, and other
book-related inquiries, please feel free to contact us.
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