What Is Doujinshi?

We’ve all been there before. You’re watching a great television show or film and then bam! The ending bowls into you like a bad bowl of ramen, leaving you bewildered or even queasy about the feature’s finale. Anime fans are not the only ones who waltz into fandom dissatisfied with what happened to their go-to show. But, for otaku insiders, they at least have doujinshi to make things better.

If you are new to the anime world, you may have heard the word and not quite figured out what it refers to. Here at ComicBook, we want to make it easy for every otaku to find their favorite ending to any anime. So, in the next slides, you’ll get to learn about doujinshi and see how it can retcon your most disappointing anime or manga ventures.

Do you have any anime questions? Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed by the otaku fandom? No worries! Hit up Twitter @ComicBook or @meganpeterscb to get all you anime know-how answered fast!

What Does Is It?

Literally, the word ‘doujinshi’ roughly translates to ‘same person publication.’ The term refers to a piece of self-published work such as a magazine or manga which picks up an anime or manga’s storyline. The unofficial story can extend the stories after a published series ends, or it may pick up halfway through to establish an alternate fan-canon. Over the years, doujinshi has become an integral part of the anime fandom as consumers have transitioned into amateur creators. Often, the non-canon stories are shared online or even at conventions where fans can share their most recent reads.

What Is Its History?

Doujinshi has a long history in Japan as its roots trace back to the late 1800s. A magazine known as Meiroku Zasshi propagated the idea of. The medium continued to grow through the Showa period before new technology allowed doujinshi to become mass produced. In the 1970s, photocopying helped the medium spread before computers were commonplace. By the 1980s, doujinshi began to focus primarily on fan-fiction stories where fans would extended storylines of their favorite shows, films, and anime titles. And, in just the last decade, doujinshi has been revolutionized yet again thanks to the Internet and the growing visibility of online fandoms. New magazine presses have popped up in Japan thanks to the ever-growing medium, and doujinshi has entered the lexicon of western anime fans as well. Still, the publication is not as popular in the west as it is abroad in countries like Japan or China.

What Does It Include?

Since doujinshi is often based on pre-existing franchises, the medium houses a slew of genres; If you can think of a topic, then a fan has made a doujinshi about it. For the most part, the form can be separated into two broad categories: parody and original work. The former style is used for gag purposes and to satirize elements of a franchise. As for original works, doujinshi creators treat these pieces are would-be canon additions to an existing series. For instance, many creators will use doujinshi to alter canon couples, insert queer relationships, swap the sexes of characters, change settings, and add sexually explicit content.