Do You Really Know what Doujinshi or Doujin is?
When most people hear the word "doujinshi," they automatically think about fetish or pornographic-based black and white Manga. However, many people don't know what doujinshi is.
You may not know either. This is because the term has always been thought of as somewhat obscure. It is quite a big industry with a very passionate and loyal fan base. Let dive into it! Shall we?
What is Doujinshi or Doujin?
The word doujin means "a similar person," this is someone who shares particular goals and interests with you. "Shi'' which is the suffix added at the end, means publication; hence it is very easy for someone to mistakenly assume it is a production of comics established under the influence of old fandoms. On the contrary, it means work that is published independently.
If you publish a comic yourself, then it's doujinshi; it doesn't matter where you do it. If you think about it, several people have or are coming up with doujin productions. Therefore, if you support this type of art created by your friends or those you may not know, you are a doujinshi artist's supporter. It doesn't relate to any particular fandom like the western culture makes it look like.
The common interest or goal is in the actual creation and publication of the comics. That explains most of the peculiarity that exists in the industry. Doujin's work by artists can be either original content or content partially based on another person's ideas.
It's a starting point for most popular comic artists before they become influential people. Doujin's work exists in a lot of different forms, including games, not just print media.
They're copyright violations, and to some degree, they're illegal but not considered much of a problem. Most doujinshi creators find them exciting and don't comment much on them. Others always appreciate doujinshi because it's a way to connect with like-minded fans who enjoy their work. They're mostly viewed as harmless since it's just a healthy way for fans to appreciate different manga series.
Why are doujinshi mainly sexual in western countries?
There's a lot of content that depicts doujinshi differently. It makes it look sexy. This is uncomfortable for some people, but it's a way of exploring Japanese lust through anime for some. The context being sexual is usually influenced by the fact that the self-published works are typically inspired mainly by someone else's work.
Most of the writers aren't able to come up with original ideas. Therefore, they'll create stories that would have happened from a series they love. Manga mostly inspires them. This is what influences a lot of the sexual content related to doujinshi. A lot of source materials don't include sex despite it being very popular.
Therefore, this is seen as an opportunity to sell more copies, especially in western culture. Many people are into cosplay; therefore, if a doujinshi includes sexual content, it's very easy for it to gain popularity. This is because many people have similar sexual thoughts and enjoy reading and satisfying their sexual desires.
However, if you're one of the people that don't want doujinshi that's full of sexual content, you can get publications that aren't sex-related. All the works are self-published, and therefore writers are independent to express their ideas. You'll find all types of stories.
Is the majority of doujinshi hentai?
A lot of people always have the perception that anime is related to hentai. Judging from the different forms of doujinshi available, including fan-made video games or original stories, soundtracks, and CDs, among others, the answer is yes; the majority of doujinshi is hentai. There's a lot of Japanese popular Manga and anime that's entirely over-sexualized.
This is openly evident because even in stores, the majority of material being sold is the adult versions. It's becoming apparent that that's what a lot of people prefer. That's a big deal for the Japanese adult content industry. It has influenced the growing popularity of hentai when it comes to pornography and fetishes in Japan.
Many people love hentai because it's not very objectionable, unlike actual pornography with real people. No physical harm is caused to any of the fictional characters involved. The plots are exciting, and therefore someone can be very keen on both aspects.
The amount of perversion displayed in Manga and anime in pornography in Japan is quite intense and a unique way to express Japanese lust. For westerners who enjoy them, that's a very crucial aspect of their fetishes. It is what has made the popularity of cosplay grow so rapidly.
The global and growing demand for Japanese Manga
Having a lot of hentai depicted in doujinshi is a great way to express these fantasies. There are a lot of lovers of Japanese Manga. This increases the demand for publications with pornography. This is partly due to the well-known fact that hentai is categorized as a niche in Western culture.
On a global scale, it's also one of the most viewed types of pornography. Therefore, most of the content isn't online, and it's mandatory to buy the comics to enjoy them fully. Content is there online, but the quality isn't as satisfying, and buying doujinshi remains the only sensible way to access it.
The percentage of doujinshi that's hentai is possibly over 80%. However, the notable thing is that the majority of the stories involve original characters when it comes to adult publications.
This differs from the western culture notion that almost all forms of doujinshi involve the use of characters that already exist. Many people invest a lot in these publications because they help them fulfill their fantasies, both sexual and non-sexual.
Conclusion
Doujinshi is mainly based on already existing manga stories, but there are also original ones. They have gained popularity in western countries despite being started in Japan because of the creativity involved. For most western cultures, doujinshi is mainly sexual because many aspects fulfill a lot of fetishes that westerns have. Most people are obsessed with role-playing involving Manga and anime, primarily what the publications are all about.
A majority of the publications are hentai since that's the preference a lot of people have. Stores are filled with adult content because of their consistently higher demand and sales. Part of it is because the adult film industry in Japan is influenced mainly by anime. This has been widely spread out to other parts of the world and contributes to the increase in hentai doujinshi.
Have fun and stay safe!
