Bad Habit!


Notes on DJ Classification

Genre & Rating:
There are lots of different methods of dj classification. The most obvious omission of my descriptions is a clear cut statement of genre. Generally I try to give an overall impression of the book instead, especially since a book can fall into many genres. Also, I don't use a system of ratings. It can probably be taken for granted that a dj is the same rating as the series it parodies, e.g.: Naruto dj may have mild violence, Utena dj (if I ever get any) may have adult/lesbian/weird themes and/or imagery. I will note violence or adult themes that are out of place in a series or are exceptionally graphic. The level of violence or sex or psychological mindplay will also be described so you can judge for yourself what you want.

Page Count:
When discussing page numbers, I count the front and back covers as two pages each. This is because that is how the Japanese themselves count them. Open up any numbered doujin and the first page will say 'page 3'. Frontpapers and endpapers aren't counted of course. I know some people only count up to the last page, but it does seem more sensible to classify them the way the djka do.

"Publishing" Dates:
First of all, these aren't the publishing dates. They're the date the dj is On Sale. However, for one thing, that looks kind of ridiculous, and what else can you call it? Debut date? >_< This also is usually the date the first issue were sold. Sometimes a dj is re-published several times, but if I can distinguish between the dates, I'll write the first date. As a side note, I write dates in the sensible ascending order of day/month/year. I've tried to make sure that the month field has the first three letters of the month (e.g.: Aug,Feb,May) so no-one is confused, but I may have overlooked a few entries. So please remember to read them that way.

Japanese Titles:
A doujinshi title can be in English, katakana, hiragana or kanji. (Or sometimes even French) For English, katakana, and hiragana, translation is easy. For Kanji titles, it's a little harder, but at the least I try to put a romaji version of the title (or an 'unknown' field). The title translations come from mixed sources. Most are mine, but sometimes I can get them from a Japanese seller who gives the title in romaji (which is usually enough to translate it from) or the translation itself. Since I'm not an expert in Japanese, I would advise that you don't take all the title translations you see on this site as rock-solid unless you also see them somewhere else. Sometimes I am certain of my translation, sometimes not.

Yaoi & Hentai:
Seeing as how I neglect to give a genre, it may puzzle some people as to how I will inform them if a book is yaoi or hentai. Firstly, it's very rare that I get either, usually by error. I have a few adult doujinshi, but there is a big difference between "hentai" and "adult". However, in my descriptions I try to name every character that appears majorly, as well as interaction and the nature of it. (Friendship, romance, romantic friendship, poking fun at, tension, sex or drama) I always write obvious and/or implied couplings, since I know lots of people seek particular match-ups. Couplings are written NamexName (say, InuYashaxKagome or VejiitaxBulma) or NameName (so, InuKago or VejiBuru). I don't bother giving one of those condescending little warnings about shounen-ai/shoujo-ai content, because if you're in the fandom you'll be able to tell by the coupling.

Hey! Where are the pictures?:
I realize that it may be quite disappointing that I don't give a sample scan for doujinshi, and my tiny cover shots make it difficult for people to tell if they like the artstyle. The lack of samples is mainly due to the way I had my descriptions laid out... there wasn't any room for another image and I couldn't find a place where a link wouldn't look queer. However, some doujinshi do now have scans. Put your mouse over the cover image and if it's clickable, there's a scan you can see. Scans for all but newly-added doujinshi are going to be slow to appear. If there's a doujinshi you really desperately want to see the art of, just tell me.



Bad Habit!