~~~~~~~~~What is "Fanjin"

The word "doujin" (doujin) was introduced in Japanese. Looking up the Japanese dictionary, there are two explanations, one is "the same person, the person", the other is "like-minded people, same interests". The latter is interpreted here. However, in general use, "fanren" does not necessarily refer to "common interests", but can also refer to "self-created creations that are not affected by commercial influence." That is, an “autonomous” environment and an “autonomous culture.” As for the word "Tongren" that was coined by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, we cannot confirm this, but it probably has to be used in Japan before the word "Tongren" spreads to the local area and has such an explanation and usage.

As for "fandom" or "fandom", it is the category of fandom. "Doujinshi" (doujinshi, fanzine) are books and publications published by a group of like-minded people, but most of them are related to comics or comic culture, and most of them are self-funded. Compared with commercial comics, there is greater creative freedom and the flavor of "drawing whatever you want". In addition, the traditional Chinese version of "Doujinshi" should be written as "同人志" rather than "同人志", because "志" and "志" have a clear division of labor in the traditional Chinese characters, and confusing them will only lead to confusion. Misunderstanding and easy to be confused with other terms; and the Japanese way of writing doujinshi is the same as traditional Chinese, writing "doujinshi"

Although it is this kind of comic fan culture that we will discuss. The definition of "dongren" also includes independent novels, poems and other creative publications. However, in these independent literary fields, the word "dongren" is rarely used. This is except for the basic definition of "dongren". , and there are differences in the fields used. The "doujins" in this article refer to the doujins of comic culture.

Different types of "doujinshi"

In doujinshi. There are also various classifications. The first thing to say is "original doujinshi" (original doujinshi) refers to the story characters, content, plot, etc., which are all created by oneself. In theory, their original content is relatively high. As for "adapted doujinshi", some people call it "interpretation doujinshi", which means adapting existing stories, including changing the storyline and replacing some characters. , or even combine several stories, etc. Although the subject matter is based on existing stories, there are also creations by the author. In terms of art, re-creation is also a kind of creation, and even if it is "original doujinshi", it does not mean that there is no such thing. Other people's elements sometimes appear, and even some "original" ones are based on other people's stories, but they are made up of characters created by themselves, and the time and place are changed. , which are less original than works that are clearly adapted, but they are enough to prove that sometimes "original" and "adapted" are not like two armies of Chu and Han. You shouldn’t disagree with someone, because aren’t we all drawing what we want to draw, expressing our own ideas, and creating our own creations?

Picture: An adapted fanzine (Blooding)

Some people subdivide adapted doujinshi into "anime-adapted doujinshi" and "game-adapted doujinshi". Readers can recognize the meaning of this category, and there is no need for the author to explain it. , the former is usually called "aniparo" in English, and the latter is "gameparo", where "paro" is the abbreviation of "parody", and "adapted fanzhi" is also called "parody". The definition of the word in the dictionary is usually derogatory, either referring to a parody or a funny poem that imitates another person's style. Even if you want to change the word to a neutral one, "imitation" and "imitation" are not the same. There is always a difference between "adaptation" and "adaptation". But now that it has been used, the author has no ability to rein in the reins.

In addition, there are also so-called "personal ambitions" and "double ambitions" in the market. In fact, Generally speaking, most doujinshi collect the works of four, five or more people, but these are called "personal zhi" and "double zhi", and the entire volume is the work of only one or two people. However, we do not agree to separate the names of "personal ambitions" and "double ambitions" from "doujinshi", which seems to separate ourselves from "doujinshi".

"Fanren" actually refers to this self-created fan culture, so even if a person does not have a "group" of "like-minded people", he should not separate himself. We think it would be more appropriate to call it a doujinshi that is entirely drawn by someone. Some people in the fandom community refer to "adapted fanzhi" as "adapted fanzhi" or "adapted fanzhi", but we don't agree with this method of calling it either.

The current situation of fandom in the world

Creation is an important asset of mankind. However, if you want to engage in commercial publishing, not only do you have a lot of commercial troubles, but you may also have to give up some of the things you want to create due to commercial considerations. However, doujinshis have a lot of freedom in terms of creation, so most of the participants are teenagers who like to express themselves.

There are doujinshi activities in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea, the United States, Australia and Europe. But among them, Japan, where it was invented, is the most active. Japan's doujinshi exhibitions are very large, and they are divided into many different departments, and there are many participating organizations. In Japan, drawing doujinshi is not something unprofessional, it is a great way to become a professional cartoonist. They also have different "original doujinshi" and "adapted doujinshi", and also have many different styles, such as brushes, nets, lines, etc., all of which are more serious. In South Korea, which is adjacent to Japan, the doujin style is not weak either.

The development of doujinshi in Taiwan and Hong Kong

As for Taiwan and Hong Kong, in comparison, Taiwanese society seems to have fewer barriers to doujinshi than Hong Kong. It is not impossible for a painter who is good at painting to join the professional ranks. Compared with Japan, Taiwan's trade fair venues, exhibitor organizations, and number of visitors are of course dwarfed, but they are already better than those in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's doujinshi are less concerned by society. Many people don't even know what "doujinshi" is, or misunderstand it as something else. Of course, this kind of misunderstanding is also quite common and widespread in society, whether in Taiwan or Hong Kong.

As for the scale of Hong Kong doujinshi exhibitions, the organization of exhibitors and the number of people, they are not very large. It seems that there is still a long way to go before society can recognize fandom. However, in recent years, the situation seems to be gradually improving thanks to the efforts of many like-minded people.

Picture: Generally, Hong Kong’s original doujinshi do not follow Hong Kong’s mainstream “muscle martial arts” style of Hong Kong comics. (Blooding)

Most of the fandom participants in Hong Kong are young people. There are a group of senior members among them, as well as a lot of new blood. The main activities in the doujin world are dominated by doujinshi fairs held once a quarter. There are not many doujinshi exchanges outside of trade fairs, but there are more activities for cosplayers (see below for details).

As for the style of doujinshi, it is more of a Japanese girl manga style. This is different from the situation in Japan and Taiwan. The style of doujinshi in Japan and Taiwan (especially the former) usually has some characteristics of local mainstream commercial comics. However, most doujinshi in Hong Kong do not follow the "muscle fighting" style of Hong Kong's mainstream commercial comics. Of course, if you look closely at different fan works, there are still different styles. Both original doujinshi and adapted doujinshi have supporters, but the main thing is the seriousness of the drawing and production. Of course, there are some existing trends in adapting doujinshi, which may give you a bit of an advantage when it comes to marketing.

There is also Cosplay

In fan culture, in addition to "doujinshi" publishing books, there are other contents. Cosplay is another major part of fan culture. Cosplay, also written as Cos-play, is the abbreviation of Costume Play. It is called role-playing in Chinese. However, in the fandom, it is generally called Cosplay instead of role-playing.

The origin of Cosplay is believed to have begun when members of some doujin exhibition organizations in Japan dressed up as anime characters or their own doujinshi characters to attract visitors to their booths. This kind of cosplayer (role player) is also called a "poster girl". Literally speaking, these cosplayers were probably mostly female at first. As it continues to develop, Cosplay is no longer simply a means of attracting visitors. It is also a major part of adult fan culture. In addition to anime characters, there are also singers or band members, some well-known figures, and even new ones designed by themselves. Role. There are also fan organizations that are just for cosplay.

It is worth noting that in the fan event "Comic World" and "Jo Daxia Festival" venue catalogs, "kanban niang" was mistakenly written as "kanban niang". Although the two words were related in ancient times, they have been divided for a long time now and it is inconvenient to confuse them anymore.

Cosplay is about not only the appearance and clothing, but also the demeanor of the role played. To interpret a character in a virtual world, you have to sacrifice a lot in terms of money, time and other costs. Today's cosplay is more serious and cost-intensive than in the days when it was just a salesperson.

As for cosplayer activities, in addition to doujinshi exhibitions, there are also activities specially designed for cosplayers, and some commercial comic sales activities that allow cosplay. Some game companies' Game Shows will also hire some cosplayers to play in-game characters. In Hong Kong, there are more cosplay activities than doujinshi exhibitions. Not only are there activities specially designed for cosplay, some cosplayers will also organize their own "private photo sessions".

In the past, doujinshi and cosplay seemed to be only possible in doujinshi activities such as Comic World. Now, the two do not have to be together at the same time. There can be cosplay activities without doujinshi. In fact, in theory, there can also be some doujinshi activities without cosplay. But generally those who hold doujinshi trade fairs or instant sales will also hold cosplay activities. Generally speaking, the current relationship between "doujinshi" and "Cosplay" is still close overall.

Reference:%2Enet/2005/dongman/2005/0407/420%2Ehtm&b=0&a=50&user=baidu