Do you know what doujinshi means? They are Japanese fanfics, or do you also not know what a fanfic is? In the world of Japanese manga, there are many things that go unnoticed, so if you don’t know anything about doujinshi, doujin, or similar things, we have prepared this complete guide for you.
To start by clarifying the doubt of those who opened the article, doujinshi are Japanese fanfics. Fanfics are works written by fans based on other original works that are shared on websites, blogs, and events. There are countless curiosities and different types of doujinshi that we will address in this article. To make it easier, we even made a summary below:
Table of Contents
The meaning of the word doujinshi
The expression doujinshi [同人誌] refers to independent Japanese publications related to manga, novels, and magazines that fall into the fanzine and fanfic category. Per year, the doujinshi market generates over 700 million dollars just in Japan. These independent works can be original, but the vast majority use existing characters from official works.
The word dōjinshi [同人誌] comes from the expression doujin [同人] which means the same person or people with similar interests. This is because [同] means equal, the same, while [人] means person. [誌] is an ideogram that means magazines, documents, or records.
Many people have imagined fights between characters from Naruto and Dragon Ball, in this case, tons of illustrations, stories, and independent mangas arise to fulfill this desire. Doujinshi is exactly the realization of these wishes, something that everyone wants to see, but officially it is impossible. Even a large part of doujinshi is for perverts.
Doujinshi is often abbreviated as doujin and can be related to things beyond manga, such as games. A great example to compare is independent games, which we abbreviate as indie games. The size of a doujinshi is usually B5, about 7 x 10 inches or A5 6×8 inches.
Who are the authors of doujinshi?
We all know that manga and animated illustrations dominate all media in the country, there are several art colleges specialized in this subject, and many Japanese try to pursue this career as artists, which is never easy. While a tiny percentage achieves success in the manga industry, others use their skills to create independent works until they gain some visibility.
Many successful works end up being born not only from one-shots but from original doujinshi. Unfortunately, this is a rare case, and many artists prefer to spend their time making stories of characters or existing works, taking all the structure, themes, characters, and using them without any official authorization.
Original works are known as ichiji sousaku [一次創作] while doujinshi based on other works are called [二次創作]. People seek doujinshi exactly to see what does not exist or has not been told in original works, such as sexual relationships between characters (pornography) or simply an alternative ending.
It is believed that almost half of doujinshi artists are students, while the other half is divided between people who work full-time and part-time. Only 4% say they do this to live, 10% want to become professionals, and 22% create these independent works just as a hobby or to relieve stress.
Doujinka (同人家) is the name given to a creator of a doujinshi, such as an artist or writer. They are part of circles (サークル) that are like groups that release and distribute doujin. Sometimes these circles are called kojin saakuru (個人サークル).
The strange commercialization of doujinshi
Apparently, it is completely illegal to take any work, modify it, and commercialize it. We can notice this in the gaming area when people try to make games based on successful franchises like Mario. Some even go so far as to modify names or some details, but even so, they end up being sued for plagiarism.
In Japan, copyright holders seem not to care about these fan projects. In reality, there is a huge industry around the creation of doujins that even become animations. There doesn’t seem to be strong enforcement, which allows for even thousands of doujin with loli underage characters.
Today, doujinshi have spread massively and are sold both in specialized stores and online through digital publications. There is even a huge event called Comiket and many other events (estimated to be over 1000) aimed at promoting and selling doujins (they are called sokubaikai doujinshi).
Where to find doujinshi for sale in Japan? Mandarake, K-BOOKS, and Toranoana are the most common and can be found in most major cities in Japan. You can also find them online or in second-hand bookstores. Other popular conventions besides Comiket are COMITIA, Comic City, Gataket, and Hakurei Jinja.
What do professionals think about doujin?
For many, it must be disappointing to have their work plagiarized or ruined with some absurd or disgusting scene, but many Japanese artists think differently. Many professionals respect these amateur artists and see the doujin publications of their original work as a trophy of success. Even famous mangakas often make doujins of each other.
Of course, not every author will like to see their characters doing perverted or unnatural things with other characters. Unfortunately, authors cannot sue these amateurs for fear that fans will negatively impact their reputation and work. In other words, destroying doujinshi can be a threat to the original work or studio, which results in the freedom of doujins.
Japan considers niji sousaku as parodies rather than forgeries. These words were said by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who declared that doujins do not generate profit in order to harm intellectual property like anime streaming and illegal manga uploads. Other professionals view doujins as a form of free advertising.
Different types of Doujinshi and Japanese Fanfics
When a doujin follows the comic style, it can also be called or fall into the category of manga. A doujin can be called an Anthology when it is a collection of several stories by various different doujinka. Copybook is the name given to a doujin not printed by a publisher.
The types of doujin can be separated by popular genres in manga such as shounen, shoujo, seinen, mecha, and others. Of course, there are other special genres to refer to doujinshi that we will see now.
The doujinshi aimed at women are called joseimuke [女性向け], where the vast majority is BL/yaoi. The doujin aimed at men are called danseimuke [男性向け] which are often confused with hentais. Although there are many doujin gen (no romance or sex). Gag involves comedic elements like crack humor.
The doujin that tell original stories instead of fanworks are called sousaku [創作]. The original BL stories follow the name sousaku JUNE referencing the month of June when the first yaoi magazine was released. And the other categories described in the world of doujin have self-explanatory titles.
The categories listed below can also refer to other fanfic works beyond the Japanese ones.
- Lemon – Fanfics with explicit sex scenes between men;
- Lime – Story with adult romance, not necessarily sexual;
- Orange – Fanfic with explicit sex scenes between women;
- Citrus – Adult romance fanfic, may or may not contain sex scenes;
Notable artists who made doujinshi
We know that many authors became famous because of Doujinshi, such as CLAMP (Sakura Cardcaptor, xxxHolic), Yun Kouga (Loveless, Earthian), Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Osamu Tezuka. Many still continue to make doujinshi and participate in events like Comiket.
Others did not become mangas but managed to get jobs as artists, animators, and illustrators. This was the case of Kazuma Kodaka, who worked on series like Fullmetal Alchemist, Prince of Tennis, and Sengoku Basara. Kiyohiko Azuma, creator of Azumanga Daioh and Yotsuba, also started by making doujinshi.
If you research the career of some illustrators and artists, you will come across works you had no idea existed or that they made. Many artists create cute works that became popular, but in their obscure arsenal, you may find some heavy hentai, yaoi, or yuri.
List of popular Doujinshi Circles
Below we will leave a list of popular circles and their doujinka:
| Circle | Doujinka |
|---|---|
| Plastics echo (プラスチックエコー) | Takaoka Nanaroku (高岡七六) |
| Jack in the Box | Pokachi (ポカチ) |
| Shisinden (紫宸殿) | Rinko Sakura (櫻林子) & Mizuki Tachibana (橘水樹) |
| PARSIFAL (パルシファル) | Nikora Ichijou (一条 ニコラ, Ichijō Nikora) |
| AIMAIME (曖昧me) | Kouu Hiyoyo (紅雨ヒヨヨ) |
| mount10 | Nozarashi Bugyou (のざらし奉行) |
| Master and Pupil LOVER | Shiwo Honjoh (本城シヲ, Honjou Shiwo) |
| Sugar | Coco Satoh (さとうここ, Satou Koko) |
| Kurukuru Girl (くるくる少女) | Yuna Akiyama (秋山ゆな) & Rei Miyabi (雅れい) |
| Gekkou Touzoku (月光盗賊) | Nobi Nobita (野火ノビタ) |
| Konjou Kumiai (根性組合) | Yoko Fujitani (藤谷陽子, Fujitani Youko) |
| Zuihouzakura (ずいほう桜) | Rae Hasutsuki (蓮月らえ-/ ) |
| K. Haruka Company | K. Haruka |
| Ede | Daichi Tachibana (たちばな大地) |
| Shouyuya (しょうゆ屋) | Tsuki Ayumu (槻歩向) |
| Mirin Kankou Oukoku (みりん観光王国) | Miyahara Tatsumi (宮原たつみ) |
| Atomic Punch | Moyo (モヨ) |
| WILBUR | Akira Hattori (服部 章) |
| Super Wild Velvet | Ewri Fuumin Sumihara (純原悠漓, Sumihara Yuuri) aka “Fuumin” |
| Nekogami-Dou (猫神堂) | shima |
| Cherry Beans | Magumi Hara & Mutsumi Tanaka |
| Kuchibirukara Sandanju (くちびるから散弾銃) | Kira Ukon (右近の綺羅, Ukon no Kira) |
| G-Zero | Mitugu Fujii (藤井貢 Fujii Mitsugu) |
| ADULT Children (アダルトチルドレン) | Anna Shitara (設楽アンナ) |
| Kagerouza (陽炎座) | Ibuki Meguru (伊吹巡), Suzuhara Shino (すずはら篠), Hikaru Kahara (河原光流) |
| Anmitsuya (あんみつ屋) | Shiina Hasuki (椎名蓮季) |
| SPIRAL*AIR (螺旋空気) | Sagiri Nanahara (七原さぎり) |
| Kurosusutou (黒煤党) | Mako Futoshi (真己ふとし Futoshi Mako) |
| Atelier SKYFiSH | SKYFiSH |
| Gangu-shitateya (玩具仕立屋) | Kurosawa Falco (黒澤ファル子) |
| Mutsumix | Mutsuki (むつき) |
| Inugumi (犬組) | Hinomotouta (ひのもとうた) |
| OMEGA 2-D | Tomoki Hibino (日比野友輝, Hibino Tomoki) & Seiryuu Shima (嶋成龍, Shima Seiryū) |
| Akaiusagi (あかいうさぎ) | Ren Hazuki (葉月れん) |
| Nejineji (ネジネジ) | Komoto Waka (こもとわか) |
| FLIP FLAP | M Yamada (やまだえむ) |
| FAKE | Azuma |
| Special Cat (すぺしゃる・CAT) | Rimu Shiina |
| Sumomonoki | Sumomo Momo |
| Shiokagen (しおかげん) | Shiomi Ame (しおみ あめ) |
| King Buster | Anri Sahara (沙原杏里) |
| Kerorian (ケロリアン) | Inaba Shino (因幡しの) |
| Haribote (はりぼて) | Ren Hotaka (穂高連) |
| Mochiya (もち屋) | Sukiya Wabisuke (数寄屋佗助) |
| Arcon (あるこん) | Meiya (メイヤ) |
| EgoRhythm | Sakiko (サキコ) |
| K2 Company | Kazuma Kodaka (こだか和麻) |
| PIKAPIKA | Takahashi Mako (タカハシマコ) |
| Hachimitsu | Chris Miyano (宮野くりす) |
| Kilinzaibatu (きりんざいばつ) | Tomomi Koga (古賀ともみ) |
| Black Tea | Yumi Kawamura (河村佑未) |
| Vivid Kids | OOEDO Pal |
| Mononoke Hobaku Butai (もののけ捕縛部隊) | Azami Kubyou (九猫あざみ, Kubyou Azami) |
| Cabotine | Kiriko Fuwa (不和桐子) & Hana Yakou (夜光花) |
Research sources: fanlore, wikipedia
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