What is a Doujin?, definition taken from wikipedia

[coffee_ping]

This thread section is about Doujinshi
so let us first define what is a doujinshi

Dōjinshi
Dōjinshi (同人誌; usually romanized as doujinshi) are self-published Japanese works, usually refering to manga and novels only. They are often drawn by amateurs, but some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular publishing industry. The term is derived from dōjin (同人), meaning "literary group", "coterie", or "clique", and shi (誌) which means "magazine" or "distribution". Doujinshi are part of a wider category of doujin including but not limited to art collections, anime hentai and games. Groups of dōjinshi artists refer to themselves as a circle.

Dōjinshi are made by artists or writers who prefer to publish their own materials. Avid fans of dōjinshi attend regular dōjinshi 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 dōjinshi are bought, sold, and traded by attendees. Dōjinshi 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 dōjinshi a coveted commodity as only the fast or the lucky will be able to get them before they sell out.

Over the last decade, the practice of creating dōjinshi 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 dōjinshi creators to write, draw, promote, publish, and distribute their works. For example, some dōjinshi are now published on digital media. Furthermore, many dōjinshi creators are moving to online download and print-on-demand services, while others are beginning to distribute their works through American channels such as anime shop websites and specialized online direct distribution sites.
Contents

* 1 Perception
* 2 Categories of dōjinshi
* 3 Famous dōjinshi authors
* 4 See also
o 4.1 Related concepts
* 5 External references

Perception

In Western cultures, dōjinshi is often perceived to be derivative of existing work, analogous to fanfiction. To an extent, this is true: some dōjinshi are parodies or alternative storylines involving the worlds of popular manga or anime series. However, many dōjinshi with completely original characters and storylines also exist.

Categories of dōjinshi

There are a few prevalent categories of dōjinshi. Seinen (青年, "young man") dōjinshi usually contain adult material and target adult males over 18. Yaoi and shōnen-ai dōjinshi feature male homosexuality and usually target adult heterosexual women and homosexual men; yuri and shōjo-ai feature female homosexuality. Yaoi and yuri manga tend to include graphic depictions of sexual acts, whereas shōnen-ai and shōjo-ai are often milder in graphical content. Dōjinshi involving sexual themes is often referred to by fans as H-dōjinshi; the "H" is pronounced ecchi in Japanese and thus a homophone of a slang term for sexual activity. It also is often taken as the first letter of hentai. Ippan (一般, meaning "general") dōjinshi do not contain adult material and are usually suitable for a broader range of audiences.

so... do u have your own doujin group?

[JL89]

omg.....i tot doujinshi is a fanart thingy...now i noe is yaoi/hentai...

[coffee_ping]

no lah, i percept doujin as a "amateur artist"
anyone who is not professinal on doing manga style drawing would be consider "doujinshi" :)

and not only yaoi XD

[mokmok07]

first time i heard "doujin" i thought it a gay comic XD. but after my friend gross and coffee-chan's clear explanation, finally i 100% understand

[Jinnai]

A doujinshi is just an amateur manga, it can be based on an existing manga series etc.

Something about Japan's copyright laws being more open than many countries' is involved, i think.