Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company, is serializing an online manga in Japan to educate possible sufferers of erectile dysfunction on its Viagra male-enhancement drug.

The manga is titled Nisemono? (Fake?) by Hiroshi Motomiya on its Japanese homepage. It is serialised by Hiroshi Motomiya, who is the creator of Salaryman Kintaro, Ore no Sora, and other manga that deal with themes such as economics, politics, yakuza gangs and various issues in society. Motomiya’s manga mostly appeal to men in their 30’s and 40’s, men who may very well be worried about something other than their society.

According to Pfizer, only 2 days after Nisemono? first appeared on its website on 7/23, the site’s traffic reached the same level as the total traffic from the previous month, showing that the manga played an important role in attracting visitors.

It’s estimated that there are over 10 million men in Japan who are having problems with their sex life. According to Pfizer, many of those men are either too shy or don’t know where to look for help. The manga on Pfizer’s frontpage aims to help those people by providing them with tips and information on how to cure their “illness.”

Source: ComiPress via JCN Newswire

It seems really strange that in a country where the sex industry offers soaplands and enjo kōsai and tons of AV materials, its weird that Japanese people need be educated on the “tiny blue pill”.