BOBC |
Resource type: Book Chapter Language: en: English DOI: 10.12987/9780300178265-008 BibTeX citation key: Tamagawa2012 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details |
Categories: General Keywords: Distribution, Fandom, Japan, Manga Creators: Ito, Okabe, Tamagawa, Tsuji Publisher: Yale Univ. Press (New Haven) Collection: Fandom Unbound. Otaku Culture in a Connected World |
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Abstract |
This chapter describes conventions centered on doujin—fan-created manga—as spheres of activity for otaku. A significant share of otaku activity in Japan is rooted in doujin culture, and doujin events, where these amateur works are bought and sold, are the centers of commerce for this scene. The driving force behind the creation of the doujin culture has been Comic Market, the oldest doujin market in Japan, first convened in 1975 and continuing to maintain its status as the largest otaku event in the world. Even before the term “otaku” was established in the culture, fans of anime and manga congregated at the Comic Market to traffic in doujin. I will analyze the doujin universe as a place of otaku activity, using Comic Market as the primary lens. The format of a doujin event such as Comic Market is fundamentally different from the typical fan convention organized in the United States and Europe. Only a handful of doujin market events like Comic Market exist overseas. Unlike general-purpose fan conventions, doujin markets are or ganized primarily for the distribution of doujin, not for panels, viewing anime, or trafficking in other kinds of merchandise. In order to describe the role of doujin market events in otaku culture, this chapter will take a historical approach, drawing on interviews and documents to trace the emergence and evolution of the Comic Market. In addition, the chapter will draw on quantitative analysis of survey data on current Comic Market attendees to offer a snapshot of the current state of this event, which has been running now for more than thirty years.
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