『キミの世界は美シイ、でも この青いそらの下に君はもういない。』

Information

For N3wbs.

Still new to doujinshi? Well consider yourself lucky, I have compiled some useful information to get a better idea about what you would expect from a doujinshi. You might even find this information useful when shopping for doujinshi. Doujinshi is a fan made comic (manga) or novel of an anime/manga/game/etc. usually from Japan. A fan comic is made by an amateur artist or a Circle (a pair/group of artists/single person) and in some cases popular manga-kas using a pen name. The stories are parodies or alternative story lines of the original storyline and original characters. Therefore, you will often find that there’s inconsistency.

Doujin Content:

Like any other manga, doujinshi can come in any one or more genres:

• General: Normal/serious story involving a one or more characters.

• Romance: Usually focusing on a particular pairing.

• Comedy: Gag stories

• Sexual Content: Ecchi (Erotic) /Hentai (Prono)

• Same-Sex: Shonen-ai (Boys Love), Yaoi, Shoujo-Ai (Girl Love), & Yuri

         

Doujinshi are stories that can be told within a single book (I call them one-shots) or can be broken into parts that span several books long. Doujinshi may consist of full-comic pages, full-text (novel), comic pages with novel, text accompanied by illustrations, or just pictures only.

         

Size

A doujinshi generally comes in three common sizes B5, A5, and A4. The standard size is B5 that is about 7 3/16 in. x 10 5/16 inches ( 18 cm x 25.7 cm ). A5 is smaller in size, most commonly used for anthologies ranging in size about 5 13/16 in. x 8 3/16 inches ( 14.5 cm x 20.5 cm ). A4 is the largest size about 8 13/32 in. x 11 29/32 inches ( 21 cm x 29.8 cm ) usually with fewer pages most often used for art books.

B6 is rarer, but not uncommon approximately 5 in. x 7 inches ( 12.5 cm x 17.5 cm ). Doujinshi may also come in irregular sizes as well, but rarely since only Circles that have extra money to spare will publish their books in custom-made sizes. These irregular sizes may vary and can come in sizes as small as a wallet or shaped as a perfect square.

Page Length

B5- Most books that come in this format range between 20-62 pages. The average number of pages will probably be around 32 pages for most doujinshi in this format. In some cases thinner books can consist of only 16 pages or even rarer 8 pages. Other times B5 are used to print anthologies (comic/novel by several Circles) or re-prints compiling the Circle’s past works.

A5- Page-wise can range from 4-300 pages long. A5 is commonly used to print anthologies. Although, often times doujinshi with fewer pages are printed in this size because it’s cheaper to publish. Copy-bons (self-published doujinshi), which tend to have fewer pages are commonly printed in this format as well.

A4- The page range is around 16-72 pages long. Generally, only art books are printed in this format. It's rare to find a full comic doujinshi, but it's not impossible. I currently own 3 A4 full comic doujinshi and I’m proud to have them; it’s not often you will come across a large comic book like that. :D

Covers

I always find it extremely rewarding to support an artist/Circle that I'm a fan of. It's very exciting when the Circle surprises me with their new stories and to top it off with a wonderfully designed cover. I always enjoy being surprised by the generosity of these artist everytime I see their work in hard copy format especially, the type of material they used for thier doujinshi cover. That is the reason I want to bring to attention about the types of cover a doujinshi may come in. It’s pretty cool if you’re doujinshi has special decorations. :D Generally, standard doujin covers use plain glossy covers, but doujinshi-kas with more money to spend on custom-made covers will use for example heavy-weight textured card stock or glossy sparkle covers. Some books may come with golden foil text inlay, slip covers, and in rarer cases hard cover.

         

Copy-bons

Copy-bons/hons are self-published books that are generally made of low-quality paper that are photocopied and stapled together, but it does not necessarily mean the quality of the douijn is poor. Copy-bons are usually most sought after due to its rarity because these are printed in limited quantities.

Omake

Sometimes the Circle will include freebies or supplements a long with their doujinshi to help sale such as a Copy-bon, book marks, calendars, illustration papers, post cards, and much more. It's a very neat feeling when your doujinshi comes with surprises, especially if you buy a second-hand doujin.XD