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romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...
as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines,
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
, and novels. Part of a wider category of ''
doujin In Japan, a is a group of people who share an interest, activity, or hobby. The word is sometimes translated into English as "clique", "fandom", "coterie", "society", or "circle" (as in "sewing circle"). Self-published creative works produ ...
'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created by amateurs, though some professional artists participate in order to publish material outside the regular industry. Groups of ''doujinshi'' artists refer to themselves as a . Several such groups actually consist of a single artist: they are sometimes called . Since the 1980s, the main method of distribution has been through regular ''doujinshi'' conventions, the largest of which is called
Comiket , more commonly known as or , is a semiannual Doujinshi convention, ''doujinshi'' convention in Tokyo, Japan. A grassroots market focused on the sale of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, Comiket is a not-for-profit fan convention administered ...
(short for "Comic Market") held in the summer and winter in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
's Big Sight. At the convention, over of ''doujinshi'' are bought, sold, and traded by attendees.


Etymology

The term ''doujinshi'' is derived from and .


History

The pioneer among ''doujinshi'' was , published in the early
Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
(since 1874). Not a literary magazine in fact, ''Meiroku Zasshi'' nevertheless played a big role in spreading the idea of ''doujinshi''. The first magazine to publish ''doujinshi'' novels was , founded in 1885 by writers Ozaki Kōyō and Yamada Bimyo. ''Doujinshi'' publication reached its peak in the early
Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...
, and ''doujinshi'' became a mouthpiece for the creative youth of that time. Created and distributed in small circles of authors or close friends, ''doujinshi'' contributed significantly to the emergence and development of the '' shishōsetsu'' genre. During the postwar years, ''doujinshi'' gradually decreased in importance as outlets for different literary schools and new authors. Their role was taken over by literary journals such as ''
Gunzo :''The article is about the historical figure. For the Japanese magazine, see Gunzo''. Gunzo (also ''Cunzo'') was a 7th-century duke of the Alamanni under Frankish sovereignty. His residence was at ''villa Iburninga'' (today's Überlingen) at L ...
'', '' Bungakukai'' and others. One notable exception was , which was published from 1933 until 1969. Few ''doujinshi'' magazines survived with the help of official literary journals. ''
Haiku is a type of short form poetry that originated in Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases composed of 17 Mora (linguistics), morae (called ''On (Japanese prosody), on'' in Japanese) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern; that include a ''kire ...
'' and '' tanka'' magazines are still published today. It has been suggested that technological advances in the field of
photocopying A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers ...
during the 1970s contributed to an increase in publishing ''doujinshi''. During this time, manga editors were encouraging manga authors to appeal to a mass market, which may have also contributed to an increase in the popularity of writing ''doujinshi''. During the 1980s, the content of ''doujinshi'' shifted from being predominantly original content to being mostly parodic of existing series. Often called ''aniparo'', this was often an excuse to feature certain characters in romantic relationships. Male authors focused on series like ''
Urusei Yatsura is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 1978 to February 1987. Its 366 individual chapters were collected in 34 ''tankōbon'' volum ...
'', and female authors focused on series like '' Captain Tsubasa''. This coincided with the rise in popularity of
Comiket , more commonly known as or , is a semiannual Doujinshi convention, ''doujinshi'' convention in Tokyo, Japan. A grassroots market focused on the sale of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, Comiket is a not-for-profit fan convention administered ...
, the first event dedicated specifically to the distribution of ''doujinshi'', which had been founded in 1975. By February 1991, there were some ''doujinshi'' creators who sold their work through supportive comic book stores. This practice came to light when three managers of such shops were arrested for having a ''
lolicon In Japanese popular culture, is a genre of fictional media which focuses on young or young-looking girl characters, particularly in a sexually suggestive or erotic manner. The term, a portmanteau of the English-language phrase " Lolita co ...
'' ''doujinshi'' for sale. Over the last decade, the practice of creating ''doujinshi'' has expanded significantly, attracting thousands of creators and fans alike. Advances in personal publishing technology have also fueled this expansion by making it easier for ''doujinshi'' creators to write, draw, promote, publish, and distribute their works. For example, some ''doujinshi'' are now published on digital media. Furthermore, many ''doujinshi'' creators are moving to online download and print-on-demand services, while others are beginning to distribute their works through American channels such as anime shop websites and specialized online direct distribution sites. In 2008, a
white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...
on the
otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...
industry was published, this estimated that gross revenue from sales of ''doujinshi'' in 2007 were 27.73 billion yen, or 14.9% of total otaku expenditure on their hobby. To avoid legal problems, the was created. A license format inspired by
Creative Commons licenses A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work". A CC license is used when an author wants to give other people the right to share, use, and bui ...
, the first author to authorize the license was
Ken Akamatsu is a Japanese manga artist and politician who has served since 2022 as a member of the House of Councillors. He made his professional manga debut in 1993, and is best known as the author of '' Love Hina'' (1998–2001) and ''Negima! Magister Ne ...
in the manga ''
UQ Holder! ''UQ Holder!'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 2013 to 2016 and later transferred to ''Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine'', where it was serialized ...
'', released on August 28, 2013, in the magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Magazine is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male high ...
''.


Comiket

Comiket is the world's largest comic convention. It is held twice a year (summer and winter) in Tokyo, Japan. The first CM was held in December 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. About 80% of these were female, but male participation in
Comiket , more commonly known as or , is a semiannual Doujinshi convention, ''doujinshi'' convention in Tokyo, Japan. A grassroots market focused on the sale of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, Comiket is a not-for-profit fan convention administered ...
increased later.Wilson, Brent; Toku, Masami
"Boys' Love," Yaoi, and Art Education: Issues of Power and Pedagogy
2003
In 1982, there were fewer than 10,000 attendees, this increased to over 100,000 attendees as of 1989, and over half a million people in recent years. This rapid increase in attendance enabled ''doujinshi'' authors to sell thousands of copies of their works, earning a fair amount of money with their hobby. In 2009,
Meiji University is a Private university, private research university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Originally founded as Meiji Law School () by three lawyers in 1881, it became a university in April 1920. As of May 2023, Meiji has 32,261 undergradu ...
opened a ''
dōjin In Japan, a is a group of people who share an interest, activity, or hobby. The word is sometimes translated into English as " clique", "fandom", "coterie", "society", or "circle" (as in " sewing circle"). Self-published creative works pro ...
'' manga library, named " Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library" to honour its
alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...
in its Surugadai campus. It contains Yonezawa's own ''doujinshi'' collection, comprising 4137 boxes, and the collection of Tsuguo Iwata, another famous person in the sphere of ''doujinshi''.


Categories

Like their mainstream counterparts, ''doujinshi'' are published in a variety of genres and types. However, due to the target audience, certain themes are more prevalent, and there are a few major division points by which the publications can be classified. It can be broadly divided into original works and ''aniparo''—works which parody existing anime and manga franchises. As in fanfics, a very popular theme to explore is non-canonical pairings of characters in a given show (for ''doujinshi'' based on mainstream publications). Many such publications contain ''
yaoi , also known by its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a female audience, distinguishing it from the equivale ...
'' or '' yuri'' (stories containing same-sex romance) themes, either as a part of non-canon pairings, or as a more direct statement of what can be hinted by the main show. Another category of ''doujinshi'' is furry or ''kemono'', often depicting homosexual male pairings of anthropomorphic animal characters and, less often,
lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...
pairings. Furry ''doujinshi'' shares some characteristics with the ''yaoi'' and ''yuri'' genres, with many furry ''doujinshi'' depicting characters in erotic settings or circumstances, or incorporating elements typical of
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
and manga, such as exaggerated drawings of eyes or facial expressions. A major part of ''doujinshi'', whether based on mainstream publications or original, contains sexually explicit material, due to both the large demand for such publications and absence of restrictions official publishing houses have to follow. Indeed, often the main point of a given ''doujinshi'' is to present an explicit version of a popular show's characters. Such works may be known to English speakers as "''H-doujinshi''", in line with the former Japanese use of letter H to denote erotic material. The Japanese usage, however, has since moved towards the word ''ero'', and so is the term almost exclusively used to mark ''doujinshi'' with adult themes. Sometimes they will also be termed or (an abbreviation of ). To differentiate, is the term used for publications absent of such content. Most ''doujinshi'' are commercially bound and published by ''doujinshi-ka'' (doujinshi authors) who self-publish through various printing services. Copybooks, however, are self-made using xerox machines or other copying methods. Few are copied by drawing by hand.
Comiket , more commonly known as or , is a semiannual Doujinshi convention, ''doujinshi'' convention in Tokyo, Japan. A grassroots market focused on the sale of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, Comiket is a not-for-profit fan convention administered ...
is well known, but there are various doujinshi events in Japan. Authors avoid the word "sale(''販売'')" and prefer the word "distribution(頒布)". However, there is also a system for putting Dojinshi into circulation, which is generally referred to as "consignment(''委託'')". Not all category terms used by English-language fans of ''doujinshi'' are derived from Japanese. For example, an ''AU doujinshi'' is one set in an alternate universe.


Legality

Many ''doujinshi'' are
derivative works In copyright law, a derivative work is an expressive creation that includes major copyrightable elements of a first, previously created original work (the underlying work). The derivative work becomes a second, separate work independent from t ...
that are produced without the permission of the original creator, a practice that has existed since the early 1980s.McLelland, Mark
Why are Japanese Girls' Comics full of Boys Bonking?
''Refractory: A Journal of Entertainment Media'' Vol.10, 2006/2007
''Doujinshi'' are considered '' shinkokuzai'' under Japanese copyright law, meaning that ''doujinshi'' creators cannot be prosecuted unless a complaint is made by the holders of the copyrights they have violated. In 2016, then-
Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
affirmed that ''doujinshi'' "don't compete in the market with the original works and don't damage the original creators' profits, so they are ''shinkokuzai''." Copyright holders take an unofficial policy of non-enforcement towards the ''doujinshi'' market, as it is seen as having a beneficial impact on the commercial manga market: it creates an avenue for aspiring manga artists to practice, and talented ''doujinshi'' creators are often recruited by publishers. Salil K. Mehra, a law professor at
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
, hypothesizes that ''doujinshi'' market causes the manga market to be more productive, and that strict enforcement of copyright law would cause the industry to suffer.


Notable cases

In 1999, the ''Pokémon'' ''doujinshi'' incident happened, where the author of an erotic
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
manga was prosecuted by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
. This created a media furor as well as an academic analysis in Japan of the copyright issues around ''doujinshi''. At this time, the legal analysis seemed to conclude that ''doujinshi'' should be overlooked because they are produced by amateurs for one-day events and not sold in the commercial market. In 2006, an artist selling an imagined "final chapter" for the series ''
Doraemon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. First serialized in 1969, the manga's chapters were collected in 45 volumes published by Shogakukan from 1974 to 1996. The story revolves around an earless robotic ...
'', which was never completed, was given a warning by the estate of author Fujiko F. Fujio. His creation apparently looked confusingly similar to a real Doraemon manga. He ceased distribution of his ''doujinshi'' and sent compensation to the publisher voluntarily. The publisher noted at this time that ''doujinshi'' were not usually a cause of concern for him. The
Yomiuri Shimbun The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are ''The Asahi Shimbun'', the ''Chunichi Shimbun'', the ''Ma ...
noted, "Fanzines don't usually cause many problems as long as they are sold only at one-day exhibitions," but quoted an expert saying that due to their increasing popularity a copyright system should be set up. In 2020, the Intellectual Property High Court ordered a ''doujinshi'' sharing website to pay ¥2.19 million to a creator whose ''doujinshi'' were uploaded to the website without their consent. The file sharing site claimed that as the ''doujinshi'' was a derivative work it was not protected by copyright law, though the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to classify the ''doujinshi'' as an illegally derivative work. The ruling was noted by commentators as potentially broadening rights for ''doujinshi'' creators under commercial law.


Impact

John Oppliger of
AnimeNation AnimeNation was an American business that included RentAnime.com, a discussion forum, anime industry news, and a column called "Ask John". It was previously a retailer of anime and manga products until 2014 and an anime licensing and distribu ...
stated in 2005 that creating ''doujinshi'' is largely popular with Japanese fans, but not with Western fans. Oppliger claimed that because Japanese fans grow up with anime and manga "as a constant companion", they "are more intuitively inclined" to create or expand on existing manga and anime in the form of ''doujinshi''. Since Western fans experience a "more purely" visual experience as most Western fans cannot understand the Japanese language, the original language of most
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, and are "encouraged by social pressure to grow out of cartoons and comics during the onset of adolescence", most of them usually participate in utilizing and rearranging existing work into anime music videos. In most Western cultures, ''doujinshi'' is often perceived to be derivative of existing work, analogous to
fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...
and almost completely pornographic. This is partly true: ''doujinshi'' are often, though not always, parodies or alternative storylines involving the worlds of popular manga, game or
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series, and can often feature overtly sexual material. However, there are also many non sexually explicit ''doujinshi'' being created as well. The
Touhou Project The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by Indie game, independent Japanese Doujin soft, soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. The team's sole member, ZUN (video game developer), Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, ha ...
series for example, is known to be notable for the large amount of ''doujinshi'' being produced for it that are not pornographic in nature. Some groups releasing adults-only themed materials during the annual Touhou only event Reitaisai in 2008 were only estimated at 10%.


Notable artists


Individuals

* Yoshitoshi Abe has published some of his original works as ''doujinshi'', such as '' Haibane Renmei''. He cited the reason as, essentially, not wanting to answer to anyone about his work, especially because he saw it as so open-ended. *
Ken Akamatsu is a Japanese manga artist and politician who has served since 2022 as a member of the House of Councillors. He made his professional manga debut in 1993, and is best known as the author of '' Love Hina'' (1998–2001) and ''Negima! Magister Ne ...
, creator of manga such as '' Love Hina'' and '' Negima'', continues to make ''doujinshi'' which he sells at Comiket under the pen-name Awa Mizuno. *
Kiyohiko Azuma is a Japanese manga artist. From 1999 to 2002, he authored the ''yonkoma'' comedy manga series ''Azumanga Daioh'', which was later adapted as an anime series by J.C.Staff. In 2003, he began ''Yotsuba&!'', a slice-of-life manga series about the ...
, creator of ''
Azumanga Daioh is a Japanese ''yonkoma'' comedy manga series written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma. It was serialized from February 1999 to May 2002 in the monthly magazine ''Dengeki Daioh'' by MediaWorks (publisher), MediaWorks; three additional c ...
'' and '' Yotsuba&'' started out doing ''doujinshi'' using the pen-name A-Zone. * Nanae Chrono, creator of the manga '' Peacemaker Kurogane'', has published multiple ''
Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'' ''doujinshi'', most of a ''
yaoi , also known by its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a female audience, distinguishing it from the equivale ...
'' nature. * Kazushi Hagiwara, creator of '' Bastard!!'', and his group ''Studio Loud in School'' have published popular ''Bastard!!''-related ''doujinshi'' such as ''Wonderful Megadeth!'', as well as various
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
-related ''doujinshi''. * Masaki Kajishima, creator of ''
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki , known as simply ''Tenchi Muyo!'' in North America, is a collection of Japanese Original video animation, OVAs created by Masaki Kajishima and animated by Anime International Company, AIC. Initially released in 1992, it marked the begin ...
'', has long used the ''doujinshi'' format to produce additional information about the series he has created, primarily ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki'' and ''
Tenchi Muyo! GXP is a Japanese anime television series animated by AIC and broadcast on NTV from April 3 to September 25, 2002. It is the fourth installment of the ''Tenchi Muyo!'' line of series, succeeding '' Tenchi in Tokyo'', localized in North Amer ...
''. These ''doujinshi'' can either be completely filled with his work, or he will contribute a work to the ''doujinshi'' title. Kajishima's ''doujinshi'' works break down into one (or more) types of works: manga-style (where he illustrates a new story, usually with limited text), interviews, early drafts of scripts for the series (giving fans great insight into the creative process), storyboards drawn by Kajishima that ultimately were not animated, story notes (or short stories) giving further little details of various characters, situations, or places in Kajishima's World of Tenchi. As of this writing, Kajishima does two ''doujinshi'' titles a year under the circle names "Kajishima Onsen" and "Kamidake Onsen". He has also used these to communicate with fans about his current projects, namely the '' Saint Knight's Tale'' spinoff anime featuring Tenchi's half-brother and the ''GXP'' novels. * Kazuhiko Katō, also known as Monkey Punch, creator of ''
Lupin III , also written as ''Lupin the Third'', ''Lupin the 3rd'', or ''Lupin the IIIrd'', is a Japanese media franchise created by Monkey Punch. The series follows the endeavors of master thief Lupin III (character), Lupin III, grandson of gentleman t ...
'' began as a ''doujinshi'' artist. * Kodaka Kazuma, creator of Kizuna, Rotten Teacher's Equation (Kusatta Kyōshi no Hōteishiki), Love Equation (Renai Hōteishiki) and Border among others, has published several parody ''yaoi doujinshi'' as K2 Company of ''
Prince of Tennis is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from July 1999 to March 2008, with its chapters collected in 42 volumes. Viz Media licensed t ...
'', ''
Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga, manga anthology magazine ''Gangan Comics#Monthly Shōnen Gangan, Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 2001 and June ...
'', and '' Tiger and Bunny'', as well as an original ''doujinshi'' series called 'Hana to Ryuu' (Flower and Dragon). * Rikdo Koshi, creator of the manga ''
Excel Saga is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōshi Rikudō. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's Seinen manga, manga magazine ''Young King OURs'' from 1996 to 2011, and its individual chapters were collected and published in 27 ...
'', originally started out as a ''doujinshi'' artist. * Yun Kouga, a longtime published manga artist and creator of two well-known BL series, '' Earthian'' and ''
Loveless Loveless may refer to: Comics and literature * Loveless (comics), ''Loveless'' (comics), a comic book series by Brian Azzarello, Marcelo Frusin, Danijel Zezelj, and Werther Dell'Edera * Loveless (manga), ''Loveless'' (manga), a manga series by Y ...
'' has published ''doujinshi'' for series such as ''Gundam Wing'' and '' Tiger and Bunny''. * Sanami Matoh, creator of
FAKE Fake or fakes may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * The Fake (1927 film), ''The Fake'' (1927 film), a silent British drama film * The Fake (1953 film), ''The Fake'' (1953 film), a British film * Fake (2003 film), ''Fake'' (20 ...
, has published parody ''yaoi doujinshi'' (mostly of ''One Piece'') and original ''doujinshi'' as East End Club. * Maki Murakami, creator of ''
Gravitation In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
'' and ''Gamers' Heaven''. Her circle Crocodile Ave. created ''Remix Gravitation'' AKA ''Rimigra'' and ''Megamix Gravitation'', which were extremely sexually graphic.Cha, Kai-Ming (2007
Sex & Silliness: Maki Murakami’s Gravitation
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
* Minami Ozaki, creator of the boy's love manga '' Zetsuai'', is an extremely prolific ''doujinshi'' creator. She authored numerous ''yaoi doujinshi'' before her debut as a professional artist, most notably featuring characters from the soccer manga '' Captain Tsubasa''. The main characters of her manga ''Zetsuai'' strongly resemble the main characters of her ''Captain Tsubasa'' ''doujinshi''. Ozaki continued to release ''doujinshi'' about her own professional manga, often including sexual content that could not be published in
Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
, the young girls-oriented manga magazine in which ''Zetsuai'' was serialized. *
Yukiru Sugisaki is a Japanese manga artist. She has created numerous manga in several demographics, but is perhaps best known for creating the ''seinen'' series '' The Candidate for Goddess'' and the ''shōjo'' series '' D.N.Angel''. Career Yukiru Sugisaki s ...
, creator of '' D.N.Angel'' and '' The Candidate for Goddess'', started as a ''doujinka''. She released ''doujinshi'' about '' King of Fighters'', '' Evangelion'', etc.; all were gag ''doujinshi''. *
Rumiko Takahashi is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with ''Urusei Yatsura'' in 1978, she is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are known worldwide, where they have been tra ...
, creator of ''
Ranma ½ is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from August 1987 to March 1996, with the chapters collected in 38 volumes by Shogakukan. The story revolves a ...
'' and '' Inuyasha'', made ''doujinshi'' before she became a professional artist. *
Yoshihiro Togashi is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age, before being recognized for his talent by the publishing company Shueisha while attending college. Togashi has authored several different manga series in different Literary ge ...
, creator of ''
YuYu Hakusho is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. It tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and killed by a car while saving a child's life. After several tests presented to him ...
'' and '' Hunter x Hunter'', has authored ''doujinshi'' such as ''Church!''. * Hajime Ueda, the creator of '' Q•Ko-chan'' and the comic adaptation of '' FLCL''. * Nobuteru Yūki sells ''doujinshi'' based on his animated works under his pen-name " The Man in the High Castle". * Yana Toboso used to be a ''yaoi doujinka'' before she authored '' Black Butler'', which explained why there are some notable BL hints throughout the series. * Sunao Minakata, the illustrator of '' Akuma no Riddle'', is a regular ''doujinka'', especially in girls' love theme. Usually makes Touhou ''doujinshi'' and has collaborated with other known-for-Touhou-works-popular artists, such as Banpai Akira. * Yūko Tsuno, creator of * Nio Nakatani, creator of the popular yuri manga series '' Bloom Into You'', first became known for her ''doujinshi'' work, particularly those based on ''
Touhou Project The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by Indie game, independent Japanese Doujin soft, soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. The team's sole member, ZUN (video game developer), Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, ha ...
''.


Online

* Bleedman, creator of the online '' Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi'', '' Grim Tales From Down Below'', and '' Sugar Bits''. * Fred Gallagher, creator of the ''
Megatokyo is an English-language webcomic created by Fred Gallagher (cartoonist), Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston. ''Megatokyo'' debuted on August 14, 2000, and has been written and illustrated solely by Gallagher since June 17, 2002. Fred Gallagher's ...
'' series, as well as the in-development series ''Warmth''. His ''Megatokyo'' co-creator and former writer, Rodney "Largo" Caston, can also be considered one, though Caston has since left the business. * Daniel Kim, creator of the
Cardcaptor Sakura , abbreviated as ''CCS'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. Serialized monthly in the ''shōjo'' manga magazine '' Nakayoshi'' from the June 1996 to August 2000 issues, it was also published in ...
parody ''Tomoyo42's Room'', has written and illustrated several ''doujinshi'', all of which are hosted at the Clone Manga collective. * Jesús García Ferrer (Jesulink) created '' Raruto'', a Spanish ''
Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'' ''doujinshi'' published online. * Fabio Yabu produced the sentai spoof ''
Combo Rangers ''Combo Rangers'' is a series of webcomics created in 1998 by Japanese-Brazilian author Fábio Yabu. It is based on Japanese manga and the Super Sentai series. It started off as a parody, then developed more serious storylines that still included ...
''.


Circles

*
07th Expansion 07th Expansion is a Japanese dōjin circle specialized in the creation of visual novels. They started out drawing for the trading card game ''Leaf Fight'', but are better known for creating the game series ''When They Cry (disambiguation), When T ...
, creators of both Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and
Umineko no Naku Koro ni is a Japanese dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion. Its first episode debuted at Comiket 72 for Windows in August 2007. The story focuses on a group of eighteen people on a secluded island for a period of two d ...
. * Clamp started out as a ''doujinshi'' group of 11 known as Clamp Cluster.


See also

* ''Dōjin'' music * ''
Dōjin soft is software created by Japanese Fan-made, hobbyists or hobbyist groups (referred to as "dōjin circle, circles"), more for fun than for profit. The term includes digital , which are essentially the Japanese equivalent of Independent video game de ...
'' * Niigata Comic Market *
Otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...
*
Hentai Hentai () is a style of Pornography in Japan, Japanese pornographic anime and manga. In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exist in a variety of media, including artwork and video games (commonly known as ''eroge''). The developme ...


Related concepts

*
Amateur press association An amateur press association (APA) is a group of people who produce individual pages or zines that are sent to a Central Mailer for collation and distribution to all members of the group. They began in the late 19th century. History The first A ...
*
Fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...
*
Fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...
*
Minicomic A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...
*
Self-publishing Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fro ...


References


External links


Passion
Popular ''doujinshi'' fanlisting site
Doujinshi DB
: Huge user-submitted database of ''doujinshi'' artists, circles, and books, including name translations
Nippon Fanifesto! A Tribute to DIY Manga
��an illustrated essay explaining ''doujinshi'' and their diversity {{Authority control Anime and manga terminology Anime and manga fandom Fan fiction Japanese words and phrases