The Laughing Salesman (笑ゥせぇるすまん) is a Japanese manga series created by Fujiko Fujio A. The manga "The Black Salesman" began as a one-shot manga in Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine on 1968, later serialized in Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha's Manga Sunday magazine from 1969 to 1971. It was again re-released as "The Laughing Salesman" by Chuokoron-Shinsha from 1990 to 1995. The manga tells the story of a salesman named Moguro Fukuzou, whose job is to help people fill gaps in their soul. In reality, he often ruins the lives of his clients if they do not follow his strict instructions or if they betray his trust.
An anime "The Laughing Salesman" adaptation was produced by Shin-Ei Animation, directed by Toshirō Kuni and written by Yasuo Tanami. It aired on TBS from 1989 to 1993 with a total of 127 episodes. A Live-Action adaptation aired on 1999 while a second anime adaptation aired on Tokyo MX in 2017. A second live action drama adaptation of the manga began airing on July 18, 2025.
Plot
Society is filled with people who struggle through their lives or never achieved their goals. The stories in the series focus on individuals who meet a shadowy and ominous salesman named Moguro Fukuzou (喪黒 福造). Moguro promises to "fill your empty soul" and give them a better life, if they follow his advice or agree to his conditions. However, once Moguro's clients begin to enjoy the fruits of their new life, they often breach their conditions, betray his trust, or deny that they received assistance at all. When this invariably happens due to their avarice, greed or selfishness, Moguro punishes his clients by using their reliance on his aid against them.