Doujin

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In Japan, doujin (Japanese: 同人, Hepburn: dōjin) is a group of people who share an interest, activity, or hobby. The word is sometimes translated into English as "clique", "fandom", "coterie", "society", or "circle" (as in "sewing circle"). Self-published creative works produced by these groups are also called doujin, including manga, magazines, novels, music (doujin music), anime, merch, and video games (doujin soft). Print doujin works are collectively called doujinshi.

Doujin works are typically amateur and derivative in nature, though some professional artists participate in doujin culture as a way to publish material outside the regular publishing industry.

Annual research by the research agency Media Create indicated that, of the 186¥ billion (US$1.66 billion) in revenue seen by the otaku industry in 2007, doujin sales made up 14.9% (US$274 million).^[1][2]