Dojin
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Mergeto Dojins (Template:Lang; often romanized as doujin) are self-published Japanese works, including but not limited to comic books (manga), novels, fan guides, art collections, music and games. They are most often done by amateurs, but some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular publishing industry. The term basically means "literary group", "coterie", or "clique". Groups of dojin artists refer to themselves as a circle.
Dojins are made by artists who prefer to publish their own materials. Avid fans of dojins attend regular dojin conventions, the largest of which is called Comiket (short for "Comic Market") held in the summer and winter in Tokyo's Big Sight. Here, over 20 acres of dojin materials are bought, sold, and traded by attendees. Dojin creators who based 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. Many Dojin creators also sell their products from their own websites and can also publish their works from distribution site such as http://www.akibaangels.com, http://www.toranoana.jp, or http://www.melonbooks.co.jp and, in the case of dojinshi creators, through online downloads and print-on-demand services, such as http://www.dlsite.com, http://www.dejipare.com/, and http://www.dojin-club.com/. Others are even beginning to distribute their works through American channels such as http://www.ultimateanimeshop.com.
Over the last decade, the practice of creating dojins 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 dojin creators to write, draw, promote, publish, and distribute their works.
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Perception
In Western cultures, dojin is often perceived to be derivative of existing work, analogous to fanfiction. To an extent, this is true: many dojins are based on popular manga, anime or game series. However, many dojins with completely original content also exist. It is also important to note that among the numerous Dojin categories, dojinshis are the ones getting by far the most exposure outside of Japan. It is also true to a certain extent in Japan itself, as dojinshis are by tradition the most popular and numerous dojin products.
Dojin Categories
- Dōjinshi (同人誌): Manga, Comic Books. A sub-category would be Dojin CG (同人CG) for CG artworks.
- Dojin soft (同人ソフト / 同人ゲーム): Games, Software
- Dojin Music (同人音楽): Music