DLSite’s Doujinshi booth at Otakon 2007. Some amazing artwork and their free fun pack made them one of the favorites at the con.
Najimi and Tsyuri at Comiket from Dojin Work. Comiket from Genshiken.
After getting back from my trip to Otakon 2007, I managed to get most of the merchandise out of my car, among them were a few Doujinshi. I really didn’t have time to scan and look inside, so I just bought them for the fantastic art on the cover and hoped the art was just as good inside. Somtimes it was and sometimes it wasn’t.
One of the doujinshi art really impressed me and I began to wonder why these guys aren’t doing regular manga. The doujin cirlce being Timtim Machine 18 featuring Mikuru from Haruhi Suzumiya. I briefly run through it in this post featuring Doujinshi anime. I also do a brief review of Genshiken in the spirit of Doujinshi fans and artists. First up is the new anime series, Dojin Work episode 1 & 2.
Dojin Work 1 & 2
Najimi struggling to understand Doujinshi.
Dojin Work is about Najimi Osana discovering Doujinshi and trying to get successful at it. Unfortunaltely for the first few episodes anyways, she’s completely uncomfortable about the subject matter which turns into some funny moments for poor Najimi. She turns to Doujinshi after she loses her job after a small misunderstanding with her balding boss.
Tsuyuri and an embarassed Najimi at the Doujinshi shop.
Najimi is looking for money when Tsuyuri tells her about an opportunity for money involving sex and herself, with the whole train gleefully listening in. Fortunately for Najimi it isn’t what she thinks it is, but she’s not exactly thrilled when it’s going to Comiket and helping Tsuyuri seller her Doujinshi titled “Pantsy Revolution”.
Struggling to get to grips of what’s happening around her, she meets Justice a mangaka who is part of a famous Doujin Circle and Najimi begins to see the potential of Doujinshi as a way to become rich and successful. But first she has to understand what exactly it is…let the hillarity begin.
Najimi playing an Eroge game…trying to at least.
Tsuyuri’s Doujinshi: “Mandatory Bloomers” Cops after the new perv in the block.
Najimi’s Doujinshi flies across the train. ”Don’t touch my eroge!”
Even though each episode is about 15 minutes long, it seems like a full length regular episode. It’s pretty funny and enjoyable to watch Najimi trying to get into Doujinshi. My favorite part so far is when Najimi tries to find a secluded place to play her new Eroge game and eventually gets chased down by police. At least she’s trying to understand and accept Doujinshi passively… unlike the girl in the next anime…
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Genshiken (Anime)
Sasahara in heaven with all the Doujinshi.
Genshiken is abouth a group of college students and their adventures at being Otaku. The first few chapters are focused on new member and Doujinshi fan, Sasahara pictured above and the outsider Kasukabe. Kasukabe hangs out with the Genshiken because her boyfriend, Kousaka, has also become a new member of the Genshiken. She initially hates all the members of the group and hopes to end her boyfriends relationship with Genshiken.
Sasahara & Kasukabe’s meet each other.
Madarame, Tanaka, Kuguyama. Genshiken’s female cosplayer, Ohno.
My favorite episodes of the 1st series has to be their trip to Comiket and the Gundam building model episode. With the Comiket episode, it was pretty funny to see the dedication of the group to get their Doujinshi even if one of their limbs was about to fall off. Madarame has to be the king of all Otaku after that episode.
Fan Doujinshi from Genshiken. Kasukabe’s rampage through Comiket.
It’s a great series to see the lives (exaggerated or not) of Otaku and to see Kasukabe slowly grow along with the group. With the second series coming soon, it’s likely they’ll cover the Genshiken producing their first Dojin work at Comiket, one of my favorite story arcs in the Genshiken manga, which is also a favorite manga series of mine as well
Kasukabe accidentally breaking the Zaku. Looks like a Perfect Grade….
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When I went to Anime Mid-Atlantic I did have a chance to look through some Doujinshi but most of the art wasn’t really decent at all, especially some of the covers. But at Otakon there was a plethora of Doujinshi booths so when I saw the cover above I took the chance that the art was just as good as the cover was, and it was!
TimTim Machine is a pretty good Doujin circle based on other art I’ve seen online of their works, and hopefully they’ll go mainstream. Below you’ll find a couple of head shots and a catalog page of some of their books. If you want to see more you’re going to have to look for the books. But given how good their art is, they may hit mainstream sooner than later.
Posted in Anime convention, Dojin Work, Doujin, Genshiken, Haruhi Suzumiya
