In the Japanese media system, organized around idols, the consumer is positioned as a fan. For the fan-consumer, the idol as an object of desire is a fantasy or ideal construct, a “mirror” reflection, which resonates with deep affective or
In discussing the idol system in Japan, we tend to think of the idol as a performer who is produced by a talent agency and lends his/her image to the promotion of goods and services. However, as Bruno Latour (2005)
Greater competition (between dōjinshi creators in the 1980s) gradually fostered rising standards of quality, which in turn attracted more circles and buyers. Higher sales shrank production costs and boosted profits, which could then be reinvested in the dōjinshi themselves. Small
There are many different Japanese fan cultures, of course, and some are themselves more culturally legitimated than others. Yet even in the case of otaku and fujoshi fan cultures—the former roughly equivalent to American geek culture, and the latter to
transformativeworksandcultures: TWC #23: Sherlock Holmes, Fandom, Sherlockiana, and the Great Game (special issue, edited by Roberta Pearson and Betsy Rosenblatt) Editorial Roberta Pearson,Betsy Rosenblatt “In all my experience I cannot recall any more singular and interesting study” Theory Ann McClellan,
The sexualised content of some Japanese media, particularly in regard to representations of characters who may ‘appear to be’ minors, has become the site of increased concern in some countries, notably Canada and Australia where fictional depictions of child characters
Perhaps most notably, by offering works that arguably “push the envelope” more than the works of the formal manga industry, dōjinshi may produce examples of innovation that create new opportunities for the entire industry. Indeed, mainstream manga publishing companies have
Whereas women artists are more likely to extract beloved characters out of their favourite manga, and develop love stories around them, often as beautiful gay boy couplings wholly unrelated to the originals. This approach, called yaoi -yamanashi “no climax,” ochinachi
However, because permitting — let alone encouraging — dojinshi runs afoul of copyright law, the agreement remains implicit: The [Japanese] publishers avert their eyes, and the dojinshi creators resist going too far. This anmoku no ryokai [“unspoken, implicit agreement”] business
Free online course of interest to fans: An Introduction to Japanese Subcultures – Keio University
Free online course of interest to fans: An Introduction to Japanese Subcultures – Keio University From the website: In this course, together with three other specialists, Professor Niijima, Professor Takahashi and Professor Ohwada, we will explore girls comics, boys comics,