Doujinshi (dojinshi) is a Japanese word that technically means "a book for people of the same
interests." What is
inside the book can vary. One of the most common forms of doujinshi is
fan manga (fan comics), but doujinshi can contain a variety of other things: fanfics, guest art,
sketches and drawings, original stories, original comics, reviews, opinions - anything, really.
Many doujinshi have combinations of the above, and if significant enough, online auctions usually
list the distribution (for example, 30% text, 70% comics). Serious collectors should quickly learn
the kanji for "novel," which is how the Japanese refer to fanfics.
Most doujinshi are produced in Japan, though there are also doujinshi from China and Korea. Doujinshi
are most often created based on anime, video games, and manga, although there are other sources, too,
such as ones based on musicians (J-pop singers and J-rock groups), movies (like
The Lord of the
Rings), books (notably
Harry Potter), and TV shows.
In the context of the Western world, "doujinshi" has come to refer to fan manga, although (as explained
above) this is not an entirely accurate definition. "Doujinshi" has also been used to refer to online
fan manga.
The copyright issue of doujinshi is a bit iffy in Japan. However, because doujinshi is priced only to
cover the expenses of printing them, and since many professional mangaka (manga artists) got their
start doing doujinshi (like CLAMP), most companies tolerate them. Some mangaka and mangaka assistants
release doujinshi even after going professional. For example, Tanemura Arina's art assistants regularly
release dojin (including romantic hentai dojin!) based on Tanemura's manga series; their books are
released under the circle name Strawberry Lunch. Akamatsu Ken, creator of
Love Hina, still
releases many doujinshi (including hentai dojin) for various anime/manga series. Takeuchi Naoko,
the creator of
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, released a sixth artbook that was technically a
doujinshi; called "Infinity," the artbook featured
Sailor Moon artwork by her friends, including
professional mangaka, and by people involved with
Sailor Moon (such as the anime seiyuu).
There are doujinshi conventions held regularly in Japan where people sell and buy doujinshi. These
include major conventions such as Comiket, in which one can find doujinshi from any fandom, to minor
cons or special events geared towards specific fandoms or pairings. Most doujinshika (doujinshi creators)
will indicate on their websites or in their latest doujinshi which conventions they plan on attending
and on what days they will appear, sometimes with titles of doujinshi they plan on selling there.
Doujinshika do not profit from their works. The costs of their books are only to cover the price of
printing. The reason why doujinshi is often so expensive for people living outside of Japan is that
middlemen usually sell doujinshi, which are normally only printed in limited quantites, for marked-up
prices. Furthermore, the cost of international shipping, as well as commission fees for using deputy
services, contribute to the increased cost for non-Japanese.
Doujinshika are usually known by their "circle" names (and sometimes pseudonyms), rather than by their
real names. "Circles" are the groups that publish the doujinshi. Although many circles have only a
few contributors (artists, writers, etc.), and many only have one (technically called something else),
the number depends on the group and the project. Artists sometimes change their circle names or
pseudonyms depending on different factors such as time, fandom, and participants.
Ratings, genre, and content of doujinshi vary greatly, from comedy to romance to drama to sexually
explicit material. Again, most doujinshi have fan manga, but many also have fanfics, reviews, and
opinions. Some doujinshi focus on pairings, others do not. Page length of doujinshi also ranges
widely. Basically, like any other medium, quality and subject matter will differ depending on who
is producing it.
The standard doujinshi size is Japanese B5 (7.2 x 10.1 inches). Other common sizes are A5 (5.8 x 8.3
inches) and A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches). Although most doujinshi are printed and bound professionally by
printing companies, many doujinshika also release copy-bon (copy books), which are self-printed books
(generally quite short) that are made from lower-quality materials; for example, many copy-bon are
just photocopied and stapled together. Note that the
content of the book is not necessarily
lower quality; many copy-bon are highly sought after, as they may be produced in even smaller
quantities than normal doujinshi.
In addition to doujinshi, there are also doujin products like stationary (which are very popular as
well), cards, pencil boards, calendars, and other goods.
