DÅjin
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DÅjin (åŒäºº dÅjin), often romanized as doujin, is a general Japanese term for a group of people or friends who share an interest, activity, hobbies, or achievement. The word is sometimes translated into English as clique, fandom, coterie, society, or circle (e.g., a "sewing circle").
In Japan, the term is used to refer to amateur self-published works, including manga, novels, fan guides, art collections, music and video games. Some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular publishing industry.
Annual research by the research agency Media Create indicated that of the $1.65 billion of the Otaku industry in 2007, doujin sales made up 48% ($792 million).[1]
Literary societies
Literary circles first appeared in the Meiji period when groups of like-minded waka writers, poets and novelists met and published literary magazines (many of which are still publishing today). Many modern writers in Japan came from these literary circles. One famous example is Ozaki Koyo, who led the Kenyusha society of literary writers that first published collected works in magazine form in 1885.
Manga circles
After World War II manga dÅjin started to appear in Japan. Manga artists like Shotaro Ishinomori (Kamen Rider, Cyborg 009) and Fujio Fujiko (Doraemon) formed dÅjin groups such as Fujiko's New Manga Party (新漫画党 Shin Manga-to). At this time dÅjin groups were used by artists to make a professional debut. This changed in the coming decades with dÅjin groups forming as school clubs and the like. This culminated in 1975 with the Comiket in Tokyo.
DÅjin today
Avid fans of dÅjin attend regular dÅjin conventions, the largest of which is called Comiket (A portmanteau of "Comic Market") held in the summer and winter at Tokyo Big Sight. Here, over 20 acres (81,000 m2) of dÅjin materials are bought, sold, and traded by attendees. DÅjin creators who base their materials on other creators' works normally publish in small numbers to maintain a low profile from litigation. This makes a talented creator's or circle's products a coveted commodity as only the fast or the lucky will be able to get them before they sell out.
Over the last decade, the practice of creating dÅjin 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 dÅjin creators to write, draw, promote, publish, and distribute their works.
Western perception
In Western cultures, dÅjin are often perceived to be derivative of existing work, analogous to fan fiction. To an extent, this is true: many dÅjin are based on popular manga, anime or video game series. However, many dÅjin consisting of original content also exist. Among the numerous dÅjin categories, dÅjinshi (åŒäººèªŒ) are the ones getting the most exposure outside Japan, as well as within Japan, where dÅjinshi are by tradition the most popular and numerous dÅjin products.
Types
- DÅjinshi: manga. A sub-category would be dÅjin CG (åŒäººCG dÅjin shÄ«jÄ«) for CG artworks.
- DÅjin soft / dÅjin game (åŒäººã‚½ãƒ•ãƒˆ / åŒäººã‚²ãƒ¼ãƒ dÅjin sofuto / dÅjin gÄ“mu): games, software
- DÅjin music (åŒäººéŸ³æ¥½ dÅjin ongaku): music
- H dÅjin (エッãƒåŒäºº etchi dÅjin), or ero dÅjin (エãƒåŒäºº), is a form of dÅjin which is sexually explicit in nature.
Notes
External links
- Doujinshi DB: user-submitted database of dÅjinshi artists/circles/books, including name translations
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