Audience reviews
13 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
GoldenSkates
“All people in this world – old, young, man, woman – are lonely at heart. I will fill that emptiness in their hearts.”
This line is recited by the so called ‘laughing salesman’ himself at the beginning of the 24 sub-episodes in the series to remind us of the show’s premise. This premise being that there is always a cost that comes with human over-indulgence. Donning a black suit and a smug grin, the salesman approaches people with a ‘problem’ which he offers to solve in a manner which seems too good to be true. Although the salesman is truthful in his words and he does “fill the emptiness in their hearts”, they quickly find that there is an ironic catch to each deal.
The anime doesn’t seem to have any connections between the sub-episodes that would make up an overarching plot, meaning th…
Read at the sourceBriareoss
The reboot/remake/continuation of Waraus Salesman follows the exact same premise from the original series down to a T, but with a modern touch to it. If you liked the original show you will certainly enjoy this one too. The only gripe I have with this new version is that there are very few new and exclusive storys being told. Over half of the stories being told in "New" are reboots of episodes from the original show.
As for the content it is literally the same blueprint as the original Warau Salesman. So here goes my initial review I did on the original series:
Warau Salesman is not only one of those "one of a kind anime" but is also heavily underrated and missunderstood.
First of all, Warau Salesman is a Horror-Comedy with pretty heavy social commentary. I don't know why people always d…
Read at the sourcektulu007
Warau Salesman New began way back in 1968. It was written by Fujiko Fujio A. It's actually had multiple anime, visual novel games & a short-lived drama. The first anime ran for over a hundred episodes, but we're talking about the newer one today. Because that's the one I was asked to review. Both anime have the same studio, Shin-Ei Animation. Which is best known for the long running Doraemon franchise. So, how does this series hold up? Let's take a look at it and see.
Story:
There is no over-arcing narrative to this series. Rather, it's an episodic work where each episode contains two stories. Each story sees our titular “laughing salesman” Moguro Fukuzou, visit someone who's in some state of desperation. He offers them something that will help them out of their situation, but there's a…
Read at the sourcePastFuturist
It's easy to misunderstand this series and to see it as a 'deal with the devil' show, a supernatural show, or even a dark comedy. But this is the opposite of comedy; it is tragedy. Specifically, an allegorical tragedy about the consequences of desire.
Western cultures have newspaper cartoon series with simple themes: Dilbert is about the absurdities of the workplace; in Charlie Brown life will put you in your place but is ultimately rewarding. Warau Salesman comes from a Japanese newspaper cartoon series whose theme is apparently about the ways in which desire can damage your life.
In the West we have 'the green-eyed monster' as a personification of envy; in Japan Moguro Fukuzuo is the pale, clammy personification of desire who arises when a person becomes dissatisfied with their lot in…
Read at the sourceanimusic18
First ever review.
What would you do if you came across a man who states that he is a salesman and can help "fill the hole in your heart?" Would you take up his offer or deny it?
Story
Every episode is different but it follows the same sort of formula. Each episode has two parts which means it features two different characters with two different situations. So basically, character meets Moguro (the main character) and tells of their troubles. Moguro agrees to help but there is always some sort of catch. Character doesn't heed Moguro's warning and then BOOM!! they get punished for it.
I have to say that the premise is very interesting since it is essentially teaching that you will be punished if you get too greedy or don't follow the rules. I did have some problems with it. Because the…
Read at the sourceMarcSenpai
Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise~
This is a quote from a famous person who defines the Psychoanalysis and the Personality Development, Sigmund Freud. If you have learned about the Id, Ego and Superego, you will be attracted to this anime.
Do you know why I mentioned Freud in this review of Warau Salesman? Simple. It is because the whole topic and story of this anime is all about the desires and luxuries of us people. This shows that we humans are thirsty for our self-desirement. This includes the basis of humans as a carnivorous being who wants to catch and hunt for their preys (desires) in order to satisfy themselves. It just a means of self-satisfaction. We cannot avoid this kind of experience since all people in this world wants to fufill their satisfaction right?…
Read at the sourceDrMondaiNashi
If you are an avid follower of Japanese media and culture you will probably be acquainted with the problems caused by intrusive salespeople in Japan, the blame is often placed on poor regulations within the legal system to protect the consumer and in a society like the Japanese society, where people generally embrace the concept of minimalistic and frugal lifestyles, the more unscrupulous and sagacious people need to find better ways to reach out to the market and make the best out of every little chance they can get.
This is what I believe inspires the character of Moguro Fukuzou, the "Warau Salesman" (adding the good ol' "NEW" to the title because it works everytime)
So this could be considered a formulaic, episodic animated work with a defined structure to deliver a "punchline" showca…
Read at the sourceLancehot
TL;DR – An oddity even among the growing number of anime reboots, The Laughing Salesman offers a darkly comic, pessimistic &, unfortunately, a little bit dated journey through the underside of Japanese society & human nature.
The last few years have seen a growing trend for older series getting new adaptations. From action classics like JoJo's Bizarre Adventures to children's shorts like Bono Bono, an ever growing number of titles are being given new prequels, sequels, remakes, reboots or simply getting an adaptation years after the source material finished publication. This goes double for The Laughing Salesman, adapting a manga by Fujiko Fuko A that ran from 1969-1971 & was previously adapted into anime from 1989-1992, another period when adapting older titles was in vogue.
At its sim…
Read at the sourceEnZanity
Spoiler free review
I welcome feedback on my reviews
So you've finished another long hard day at work, and you're walking home so you can eat and rest. You've got this tiny problem that's been bugging you for the longest time, but since you're so busy with your day to day life, you just don't have the time or determination to solve it yourself. Suddenly, a short old man appears before you. He's wearing a three-piece suit, tie, and hat, and he has teeth the size of bricks. Smiling that massive grin of his, he hands you a business card that reads "Moguro Fukuzou. I will fill that hole in your heart..." He then proceeds to offer you the best deal you have ever heard in your life. He plans to help fix that problem that has been nagging you for an eternity. It's too good to be true... right?…
Read at the sourceKoloshow
I would like to start out by saying that this show is not as bad as people make it out to be. Each episode there are two people visited by the Laughing Salesman and they end up receiving some sort of punishment for their greediness.
The episodes are not meant to be watched back to back. If you binge-watch the show, it will get real repetitive real quick. On a weekly basis, this anime works. I looked forward to each episode. While all the cases provided may not be relatable, they do show the greedy side of humans. (I especially loved episode 11).
I think Warau Salesman New is a relatively underrated anime that only gets marked down because of its episodic nature. Some continuity would have been nice but it is still good the way it is. I recommend watching the Warau Salesman New despite…
Read at the sourceSnot-nosed_Brat
Laughing Salesman is a pretty good show, easily watchable from beginning to end. If you are considering watching this, you can just go through one or two episodes and pretty much get the jist of it since the show has a static pattern.
What made this interesting to me was seeing how different characters approach Moguro's offers, and their particular weaknesses that cause them suffering. For a psychological show, its simple and easy to digest. The occasional exaggeration in the art adds to its comedic moments, and its eerie ones. The opening is also catchy and sets the mood pretty well.
It falls short because after time it becomes too predictable. The plot of each half-episode is fairly solid, but the formula easy to foretell and probably not very entertaining if you try watching it all at…
Read at the sourcewolfwing
This one is a weird one to review. As I give it a 9 for enjoyment, but it's a lot of the same ways I like twilight zone, outer limits, or the good M Night Shyamalan movies, in that they have good twists, or endings.
Each episode is formulaic, there are two stories, each one introduces the person the story will follow, they bump into the laughing salesman, her offers them what they truly want, and it often goes bad, mostly through their own actions, by being too selfish, by breaking the rules, by ignoring the warnings.
What made me enjoy it is, the curiosity in how they will get their comeuppance, some b breaking the rules, others by getting what they want, but as often is in life, it isn't what they expected.
The animation and art is passable my main issue with it is, a lot of the chara…
Read at the sourceMetroidPrimeRib
I would like to say first and foremost - fuck this show. Don't watch it. Its mean spirited, morally empty and without a message.
You know anthology shows like The Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents usually give a scenario where you are waiting for a character to "get theirs" or to see where a single mistake can lead you. The setups and endings are different - you could be following a character you want to see succeed or one you want to see fail, and the supernatural aspects they sometimes encounter vary wildly and the shows make good use of plot twists to throw you off the trail.
The issue with The Laughing Salesman is that it does none of that. Let me explain to you every single episode - every single story, of which there are two in each episode - of The Laughing Salesman.
All…
Read at the source