What is “Canon” these days? · Yuri doujin Novel, critique Practical limitations Scale History Wide genre Issue > Doujin History > Derivatives > “Void” > Forum/Tools >Conclusion

What is “Canon” these days?

Wataru “walterinsect” Yamazaki

17.02.2019

Desucon Frostbite 2019

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#canonjapanissaLive tweeting, questions, comments, criticism,

hate comments, etc.

Issue > Doujin History > Derivatives > “Void” > Forum/Tools >Conclusion

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Main topics

Fandom landscape in Japan through “derivatives”

Canon-Derivative relationship

Limited explanation on post-2000s “boom” in doujin


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Disclaimer

Main diet as otaku: Anime, game

THE IDOLM@STER

Yuri doujin

Novel, critique

Practical limitations Scale

History

Wide genre


Limitations

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Starting point

Derivatives My main medium

Derivative > Canon

Flood of Derivatives Expansion

Canonicity


Why do fans create these? Why is it expanding rapidly?

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Key works in 2010s?

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

SAO

AoT

THE IDOLM@STER

Lovelive!

TIGER & BUNNY

Kan-Collle

Osomatsu-san

Yowamushi Pedal

Diamond A

Kekkai Sensen

Yuri on ICE

Azur Lane


Whole “Social game” thing

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同人 doujinHistorical Trajectories of Doujin in Japan


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What comes to mind?

Lewd manga?

Always R-18?

Thin leaflets for “research purposes”?


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Novels

Critique

Research


Yes but…

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Its emergence – Meiji era Doujin

“Those who share interest and hobbies” Group of authors, poets publishing private

magazines

Dominant in poetry, major position for literature

Ozaki Koyo, Natsume Soseki, Masaoka Shiki (Araragi-ha)


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“GarakutaBunko” 1885


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Manga doujin – Cradle for genre

1966 “COM” - Tezuka Production “Mini-com” trend

“Gura・Con”

1979 First Comic Market

80’s Anime boom


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Expansion –90’s

ToolsComputers

Internet

2ch

Doujinshi expansionYaoi genre

Comiket expansion 2-day to 3-day

Venue


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Acceleration –Expanded “Otaku” culture

Online CommunityNiconico, Pixiv

“Otaku” media as mainstreamDenshaOtoko

New generations of audience

Tools Internet as commodity


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二次創作“derivative works”The dichotomy of Canon-Derivative and its evolution


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二次創作niji sousaku“Derivative works”?

Concept contrasted to 原作 canon “Any fictional work that has fictious source

material(s)”

Possibly from legal term

Similar Transformative work

AO3

Simulacra Baudrillard


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原作 gensaku”canon”?

Original work, as contrasted to Derivatives

Authority over other derivatives Canonicity


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Dichotomy

Create derivatives based on canon

Canon as authority Authors as sole creator of the “true things”

All the derivatives are “fake”

Legal Implications


Are they relevant?

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Canon and derivative at the same time

References and referenced


More like continuum?

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Database consumption – Azuma Hiroki

Post-modernist

Narrative lost importance Characters generated based on “trope database”

Otaku consumes endlessly generated characters.

“Simulacra flooding” between canon and fake


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Partially true, but...

Deconstruction of narratives, simulacra floods market

“Character-centrism”

Otaku not wanting narrative anymore, just characters and settings

Self-contradiction


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“Void” in narrative“Opening” in canon, or easier insertion of noncanon


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Symbiosis of “chara-moe” and “narratives”

Characters took the core “Chara-moe” Narratives exist for characters

BUT otaku wants narratives too


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Narrative Deconstruction

From Grand Narratives to small narratives Lyotard

Deconstruction E.g. VN narratives


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Visual novel narrative(simplified)

Common Route

Ending choice

Character Route

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Declining VN market

Legacies


Beyond Visual Novels -Narratives in 2010’s

Q: What’s next?

A: Social Games

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Social Games Soshage

VN legacy UI

Non-linear structure with repetitive element


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Soshage“comyu”


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Soshagenarrative –Endless GachaHell

Perpetual narrative generation Gacha, updates

Albeit for characters to be “alive”


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Referenced “narratives”

Making characters “alive”Thickening character

Narratives brought in to serve characters


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Types of Narrative References

Kancolle-type real-world deconstructed

BanG Dream-type Generated by “canon”

Fate-type Hybrid of the two


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Relationship-descriptive

Relationship making characters “alive”

Canonical BL, Yuri, and M/F “Suck up the fujoshi demand”


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Expanded Media mix

Canon – “official” derivatives

Canon with no specific canonical medium

Canonicity in Lovelive!


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“Void” open for creativity

Fans can claim canonicity through characters Fan-made narratives

Yet Canon needed as “reference point”

Ending perpetual narrative?


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Forum for CreativityCatalyst for fandom expansion


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Importance of forum

Community of authors & audiences

Sharing context, cultural background

Creative participation

Fans become creators


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Comic Market (Comiket)

Since 1974

Largest of its kind

Ever expanding Doujinshi event Venue, participants, duration

Scope

Industry inclusion

“All-Genre”


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Constellations of 同人誌即売会“doujinshi events”

“only events” based on genre

narrative type

Medium

Driving Doujin landscape to expand further


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Mid-2000s –Niconico, Pixivand more

Creative community VOCALOID, MAD, comment

Mainstream entertainment Yonezu Kenshi (a.k.a. HachiP)

Supercell


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Printing tools

Stencil duplicators

Since Meiji era

Small scale printing companies across Japan

“mini-com” in 60s

Offset printing

Initial manga doujin

“mini-com” printing companies


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宅配便 services 1970s Revolution to parcel shipping

Door-to-door

Vital blood vessel


Courier

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Initially part of normal bookstores Shosen, Mandarake

Doujinshi-specific bookstores since 90s Toranoana, Melonbooks, COMIC ZIN, etc

Accessible doujinshi for all of Japan


Doujin bookstores

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ConclusionWhat are we seeing in 2010s?


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Three main points

Narratives changed its shape

Shape affecting fandom activity

Tool/Forum expansion accelerating the trend


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Questions? Comments?


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Kiitos paljon! Hyvää conin jatkoa!


Documents

What is “Canon” these days? · Yuri doujin Novel, critique Practical limitations Scale History Wide genre Issue > Doujin History > Derivatives > “Void” > Forum/Tools >Conclusion