Creativity and Fantasy Stuffed in a Single Book!! The Doujinshi Market is the Energy of Otaku Communication!

Creativity and Fantasy Stuffed in a Single Book!! The Doujinshi Market is the Energy of Otaku Communication!

From the large expansion of Comic Market, many otaku might understand the word doujinshi, and at the same time, some might have mistaken this word for the wrong meaning. What is doujinshi? How does it differ from normal manga or magazines? Can anybody make one and sell it? All of your questions about doujinshi are answered in this article!!

Gintoki from Gintama holding BL Doujinshi

Since there are erotic depictions and themes in many doujinshi, some people grasp a meaning of doujinshi that’s a bit different from its usual meaning. Doujinshi is a coterie magazine sold directly for and made by otaku. There are many otaku creators who want to sell and share their magazines, which are reflections of their imagination. The word “doujinshi” is derived from “doujin” which means a person or persons with whom one shares a common interest, and “shi” which means magazine or publication. So, it doesn’t necessary mean adult comic or magazine, and since there are many genres, it is difficult to categorize doujinshi. Basically, anyone can sell or buy doujinshi at Comic Market or Only Events. However, there is a rule, due to the system, that anyone who participates has to have an address in Japan.

Doujinshi is now recognizable as manga- or anime-themed coterie magazines that are mainly in manga form, but this is just one category. There are not only anime or manga genres, but also coterie magazines about railroad and sports!! The context of the magazine can be anything too; even recipe books are on sale.


This one is from TYPE-MOON, which is a game company that has incorporated and produced the popular visual novel series Fate/stay night.

Buying Doujinshi

Comic Market Scene from “Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata”

Full article continued at Tokyo Girls' Update
Source article written by Maririn

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