Doujin is much more than just porn
The word 同人 (doujin) in the West is commonly associated as adult-themed fan fiction of existing Intellectual Properties. You’ve probably seen many doujins of your favorite anime characters in very R18 situations they never showed in the anime. But the original Japanese word doesn’t refer only to such explicit publications. In this blog, we’ll go through what doujinshi actually means and give you examples of various non-adult doujinshi from Comiket 100.
What DOES doujin actually mean anyway?
Doujin simply means “indie” or “self-published” in Japanese, and does not have a specific link to adult-themed content. Any material that has been self-published can be labeled as doujin.
Doujinshi is specifically used for self-published comics, zines, or books, as the shi in doujinshi refers to paper. Doujin games are self-published games. Doujin music is self-published music. The list goes on in that manner. Amateur-filmed porn in Japan is, you guessed it, doujin AV (adult video)!
Examples of non-adult-themed doujin work from Comiket 100
Some people may get the impression that people who draw fanart doujinshi are not directly related to the IP they’re parodying. However such isn’t the case.
Homura Ren is an animator working on major titles like My Hero Academia (fifth season) and for Comiket 100, Homura brought their self-published books containing their fanarts (which includes some sketches and fanarts of My Hero Academia characters).
設営完了しました！
この後の天候心配ですがどうぞお気をつけて✋
まず間違いなく売り切れないのでごゆっくりで大丈夫です。#C100 pic.twitter.com/YbrRMYh6gc— ホムラレン (@Karaquri_H04) August 13, 2022
This particular person below works as an anime producer, and for Comiket 100, they published a new book that reported on how studios created anime during the pandemic and the effects of COVID-19 on anime production.
設営完了！ 東5へ40ａにてお待ちしております。 pic.twitter.com/2JmKJXpvEt
— サチ🎦/C101/1日目東4 リ12b/新刊落ちました、新グッズのみ有ります (@sachi02) August 13, 2022
Another professional in the anime industry, Kazuya Masumoto (anime producer and CEO of Studio Trigger) put out several books on working in anime production. He was virtually present via tablet at the event.
本日、東シ24b「OGIKUBO100W」にて
「アニメの作り方と制作進行のお仕事（準備号）」
を頒布！1冊2000円になります。今回はYouTubeに合計112分の解説動画を公開してまして本書のQRコードから閲覧できるようにしてます。
というわけで設営終わりました。本日はよろしくお願い致します！#C100 pic.twitter.com/wgoJnVzs93
— 舛本和也@C101 31日東へ46b (@kenji2413) August 13, 2022
Manga artist and anime director Kenshiro Morii put out a simple zine created by his young son at his booth that was sold for only 100 yen (approximately 75 US cents). And all of the copies sold out!
ムスコの初コピー本完売！買ってくれた方ありがとうございました！売上は印刷代抜いて本人に入ります。見本誌は置いとくから見に来てね #C100 pic.twitter.com/MwTKg3AJPJ
— 森井ケンシロウ (@morii) August 13, 2022
Doujin works outside of the anime and manga industry.
This leather artist set up their booth to showcase a number of their incredibly detailed leather craft pieces.
コミケ100設営準備完了しました！
西2ホール“か”37a 入って直ぐの角地ですよー！#コミケ100 #C100 #コミックマーケット100 pic.twitter.com/FNwk4tON3V— Leather 5160／岡部 豪一郎 (@Leather5160) August 12, 2022
This author wrote and published multiple books specifically about billboards put out by dental clinics.
設営完了！
あとはスタートのベルを待つのみ(^_^)
死ぬ気で売りまくるぞ(≧∇≦)#大日本きぬた連盟 #C100 #コミックマーケット100 #コミケ100 #きぬた歯科 #横浜きぬた歯科 #にった歯科 #あきたレディースクリニック安田 pic.twitter.com/sf4yDlvYgM— 看板研究家 D.J.マメ(大日本きぬた連盟代表) (@minor1979) August 12, 2022
This author brought their photo collection books containing various mailboxes in Japan.
設営完了(｀･ω･´)ゞ
本日東ヨ-21a『七種堂』にて
新刊「郵便ポスト写真集Ⅲ」
既刊「郵便ポスト写真集Ⅱ」
販売しております!!
まったりお待ちしておりまーす#C100 #コミケ #コミックマーケット100 pic.twitter.com/z9C8LvGSza— 金木犀＠年末年始繁忙期なう (@kinmokusei_pso2) August 12, 2022
Doujinshi by politicians!?
Even a politician can participate in Comiket. Minoru Ogino is not only a doujin author but a VTuber and a local politician who is a member of the Ota City Assembly in Tokyo. Ogino is a strong advocate for game, manga, and anime.
For Comiket 100, he brought two doujin books about life as a local assembly politician.
お待たせしました。
8月13日コミックマーケット一日目。東ミ23aサークル「オタギイン」のお品書きです。新刊は地方議員の日常本2種類。キャンセルカルチャー編と参議員選挙編。作画は聖月さんです。
グッズは会場限定。不織布バッグと缶バッチのセットと夏用マスクを頒布します。#C100 #コミケ100 pic.twitter.com/QztVqHusbi
— 大田区議会議員_おぎの稔/C101土曜東ポ27a/メタバース・議員系Vtuberの大田区議です。 (@ogino_otaku) August 11, 2022
I’m sure you can tell now that doujin is not just about adult-themed books. There are many others out there who publish non-adult works and it is important to understand that doujin culture is for everybody!
Other:
- We also covered how COVID affected doujin events such as Comiket.
- The cosplay at Comiket 100 were amazing too!
Did you know that Irodori Comics has an all-ages doujinshi label called Irodori Aqua?
There’s no Comic Market overseas, but if you want to support your favorite doujinshi artists, we’re in the middle of publishing many C100 titles! Some have already released and some are currently being localized.
Keep an eye on our “C100 Collection“!
If you enjoyed this article, you can support us by buying our officially localized English Doujinshi on our Irodori Comics Store! Works are uncensored and DRM-Free for you to keep!
Furthermore, when you buy works on our website, up to 60% of the selling price goes directly to the artists as royalties! Since the Japanese Yen is at historical lows, USD royalties go a long way for our artists.
Read more news articles here.
