Doujinshi FAQs
Here I will answer some Frequently Asked Questions about Doujinshi n general, and about my site.
Doujinshi are fan-made comics, often featuring characters from popular anime and manga series. They are not officially approved, and are NOT part of the series itself, but they are generally well tolerated, and even encouraged because they are seen as harmless to the sales of the official series and may even increase popularity. The content of doujinshi can be anything from gag doujinshi full of joke scenarios, to serious dramas, romances, and even sexually explicit content. These books are published in limited quantities and distributed largely at Doujinshi conventions in Japan. There are also many ways to purchase them in the US such as Ebay, and other sites who sell them to US sellers. Wikipedia definition of Doujinshi
How can you justify scanning and hosting other people's works online?
I take no credit for the artwork that I have scanned. I really appreciate these people's hard work, so I make my best efforts to give proper credit to the artists by scanning the title pages, doing my best to list them with the proper artist, and title, and where possible providing links to the original artist's websites. If anyone sees any errors in my listings, please tell me. I can't read much Japanese, so I do the best I can, but I make mistakes..
As far as taking and posting their works without permission, I do understand the ethical issues with doing this. I strongly encourage people who really like the content of these books to buy copies of their own, when available. It's really nice being able to hold and look at the original because a lot of detail is lost in the scanning process. However, it is not very easy for people in the US to really collect doujinshi freely. While many are available for sale, it's hard to find particular books that you might be looking for. It's also very hard to judge a book by only the cover. I myself have been severely disappointed with some of my purchases before. The prices available in the US are usually far higher than the prices in Japan because there are so many levels of sellers between the original artists and the people who sell the books in the US. Judging from the number of people who have shown interest in buying books from me that I have fully scanned on my site, I cannot believe that the availability of scans destroys the US market. While it may deter some buyers who feel the scans are enough, there are many other buyers who are more inclined to purchase a book that they already know they like. It also helps increase the confidence of buyers who see a book by the same artist as one on my site, so that they have a better idea what to expect.
Also, while I do understand that some Japanese artists would not approve of seeing their doujinshi scanned online, this is not truly a copyright violation. The artists who made the books did not own the characters and the series themselves. There is no copyright on the doujinshi at all, much less a US copyright. In addition, I have myself bought and paid for each one of the doujinshi posted here (except the few that were donations), so, in the absence of any applicable copy-right laws, there is no reason that what I'm doing is illegal. I don't make any profit off the works at all, and I abhor those who collect doujinshi scans online so that they can sell them on Ebay for a huge profit. However, if any artist ever does contact me, I will certainly respect their wishes and remove their works.
Why do you post the scans anyway when you don't make any money?
I've found that, if I host enough scans, then people periodically offer to translate them for me. I LOVE translations! Please, please, anyone who wants to do something for me in thanks for the doujinshi I've shared, if you know enough Japanese to do it I'll be immensely grateful if you help me translate any of these books! Chose one that you like! I'd rather have you translate one that you enjoy so that you'll be more motivated in doing it.
The other benefits that I gain are the occasional trade, when someone scans one of their own books and offers the scans to me. This is great. While I'd love to go out and buy every well-drawn doujinshi for every series that I like, this is not even remotely possible. It's not possible to even track them all down in the US even if I did have the money for it! So, if anyone wants to donate doujinshi scans to the site, you'd be welcome. If anyone wants to just send me scans without me posting them, I'd love to see them. If you have a site with doujinshi scans hosted that you think I might like to see, drop me a note with the link to it!
Lastly, even if you don't own any doujinshi and don't know any Japanese, I still like discussing the books with others. If there's one you really like, let me know. If you notice something odd in one book and want to talk about it? If there's a page that you love and you make a pretty icon or something out of it, sure just email me. People online thrive off feedback, and it helps to know that people really do get some enjoyment from the work I put into building this site.
Where can I buy my own Doujinshi?
Ebay, is my biggest source. There are always tons of books on Ebay and it's so easy to buy there. Easy and secure, although you have to check frequently if you want to find certain books, pairings of series. If you want to get closer to the source, there are many proxy services, like Rinkya that will bid on doujinshi on Yahoo.japan and then send the books on to you, but there are a number of fees that drive the prices up when purchased this way. There are also many sites that sell doujinshi directly. Also, if you are interested in my own doujinshi, there are some which I am not as attached to as others which I am looking to sell. You're not going to talk me into selling my favorite ones ever, but check my indexes for a list of ones that I am looking for part with in exchange for some funds so I can buy new ones ^_^
Email me. Any doujinshi that I no longer want I will mark, with an approximate price, in my indexes. These prices are about what I think they're worth, although they're often less than what I paid for them myself. As for the condition, please ask if you have any questions. The condition of the books is not bad, but there will sometimes be slight creasing near the bind from when I scanned them. If there are any doujinshi you want not marked ask and I may be willing to sell it.
Shipping: I generally mail doujinshi in US mail, packed well in an envelope. The cost to mail them ranges, but $3 for the first book plus $1 per additional book will come close enough within the US. If you want it mailed elsewhere or mailed extra fastI will have to find out the shipping costs and then charge you that amount. Insurance, within the US, can be added for $2. Standard mail usually takes 3-4 days.
Payment: I prefer Paypal.com payments from bank verified accounts! Seriously, this is the safest and most secure way to pay for stuff remotely. If you don't have an account, seriously consider getting one. Paypal is an accredited bank, and is affiliated with Ebay. So long as you don't get involved in anything that looks illegal, you shouldn't have any problems at all with Paypal. If you have an unverified Paypal account, then I'll get charged a fee to accept your payment, which I'm still willing to do, but less happily. If you can't use Paypal at all, I will accept cash, check, or money order, but I will wait until I receive the payment to ship.
I have now sold 5 packages of doujinshi to people through my site, all of whom got them and are happy. It's cheapest and simplest to sell directly but if you would feel more secure buying through Ebay I will put the doujinshi you want in an auction there. I'll just have to ask a little more to cover the fees, and there's a risk you could get out-bid.
Where else can I find scans?
There are a LOT of other sites that host scans like my own. I will list a few of them here, but you should probably search around on your own too.
Buy doujinshi:
Ebay Generally the cheapest source of doujinshi to the US, although also the most variable. Sometimes prices can be exceedingly high for new and popular series.
Aloha Anime Great seller, although his prices on Ebay are often lower. WARNING, some adult content!
Celga Another proxy service willing to buy for you on yahoo.japan.
The Fluffy Shrimp An auction site with doujinshi from a variety of series.
Mandrake Another seller with lots and lots of books, but not as easy to search. WARNING, adult content!
Plecomi Another seller with a lot of hentai content for decent prices. WARNING, adult content!
Rinkya Probably the easiest site to search Yahoo.Japan, but not necessarily the cheapest to use to buy doujinshi. I've not bought from them myself, but know many people who have.
UltimateAnime Another seller with GOOD prices. I've not yet bought from them, but they look good anyway. Adult content separated.
Inuyasha doujinshi index with links to other sellers too.
Doujinshi Scans:
Doujin Fanshare Rocky's Slayers doujinshi site.
Dark Roses Site with primarily yaoi doujinshi, but some Slayers hentai as well, and a good index of other doujinshi sites.
Slayers Hentai Page Several Slayers hentai doujinshi
Euphoric Visions This used to be a great archive with thousands of doujinshi. Now they're charging. I haven't paid so I don't know what it's like now, but I'll keep the link since they keep promising to try to bring the free section back. ADULT CONTENT
Deju Vu This site fun by my friend Starla has a number of free doujinshi scans and scanlations.
Cheezy Doujinshi Scans Gallery of gag and romance doujinshi, safe for all ages.
Turtle-san's Ecchi Doujinshi Scans See the bits that were left out here.
My other sites.