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Cheers! Long and Wandering FAQ (a.k.a "The Webmaster Likes to Ramble") If you don't want to read all the way through this insane conversation, click here for fast answers. Q: Why is this page called "Cheers?" A: Because "Taxi" was taken and "M.A.S.H." didn't seem appropriate.^^ Actually, the reason is two-fold. First, "Cheers" is the name of my favorite piece of background music from Trigun. If you don't have the soundtrack handy, it's the cheerful, upbeat little tune from "Quick Draw" (episode 10) that plays when Vash and Wolfwood jump up after their "deaths" and start kickin' ass. If you want to hear it, it's on Napster. About a kerbillion times. "Cheers!" also reflects the mission of this site: to celebrate the work of Japan's talented amateur artists and their devotion to their favorite anime/manga. Q: "Doujinshi," "yaoi," "shounen ai"--I don't get it. What is this stuff? A: You don't know? Q: No, and it shames me deeply. A: Okay. Well, like I said on the main page, doujinshi are basically amateur manga (sometimes referred to as "fanzines" in translations") based on a series written and drawn by fans. These groups are called "circles." They use established characters and situations-- Q: Like fanart/fanfiction? A: Now you've got it! The big difference betweeen them is that doujinshi are published and sold. Doujinshi can be serious or funny (or both, of course), long or short, totally original or based on episodes or stories in the original anime/manga, clean or dirty-- Q: "Clean or dirty?" You mean, sex? A: Yeah, a lot of doujinshi are about sex. It's a popular genre.^^ Q: Are you serious? A: Yes. Q: Real sex-sex? A: Yeah. Q: You mean, like Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.... A: You're hung on this, aren't you? Yes, like Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask bump uglies. And Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars, or Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury, if you can get your mind around that one. Q: Really? A: Uh huh. It's called "yuri." The male version is "yaoi." The less explicit, more emotionally based versions of each are "shoujo ai" and "shounen ai," which mean "girls love" and "boys love," respectively. Q: And here I thought the Japanese were supposed to be repressed. A: Apparently, a clever ruse. It's not all sex, though, so please don't think that's all there is. For example, my favorite type is gag doujinshi, which is humor based. Q: Care to give me an example? A: Okay. Have you episode 13 of Trigun? Q: "Diablo?" A: Yeah. Q: Yeah, I've seen it. A: Okay, well, here's a spoof of the hot dog scene with Legato, pages one and two. Q: Ha ha! A: See what I mean? Q: Yes! Hee hee! A: We've gotten a little off track, so ask about some other terms. Q: Okay, what are some other terms I ought to know? A: We've covered the basics, so for a more in-depth listing, check out Aestheticism Cybershoppe and Butterfly Blue for more information. Q: Can I use the gallery images on my page? A: Okay, here's what everyone's been waiting on. NO. N-O. This is a "look but don't touch" type gallery. Behold, the super-powered generic disclaimer-thing from Marisa Price's "Ethics of Scanning Doujinshi," available at Doujinshi Online: "Please do not take ANY of the pictures from these pages. These are doujinshi from my personal collection and they belong to people in Japan who earn almost NO MONEY for their work. Using their pictures on your site without proper reference is not appropriate. They are not to be used on any other webpages without my express permission and the proper reference. Thanks!" I'm not stupid: I know that sooner or later, these things will be spread all over the web, without credit, etc., etc. But here's hoping that those of you who read this will be conscientious enough to do what I'm asking. Q: Hey, don't you run another Trigun site? A: Yes! Happy Donut Land was/is my first Trigun site. You can adopt adorable little gifs of the cast there, including some animated originals, like this smoking Wolfwood:  .Q: If you've already made a Trigun site, then why not just make this part of it under "doujinshi scans" or something? A: Originally, that was what I intended to do. But I've got a lot of other doujinshi from other series that I'd like to share, including Shoujo Kakumei Utena and Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's easier to just keep them all together like this. Q: Hey, the numbering of these pictures is really messed up. A: As am I. Q: Can I buy this doujinshi from you? A: Huh uh. Q: Please? A: No. Q: Come on, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease? A: No way. Q: Trade? A: Nuh uh. Look, I'll tell you where you can find some doujinshi, though. How's that? Q: Mmmmmm.... A: Come on, I'll meet you halfway on this. Q: Okay. A: Okay, go here. Phew. Anything else? Q: One more. A: All right, shoot. Q: Well, do you really think you should be putting doujinshi art online at all? I mean, yeah, you've covered your ass with the whole "look but don't touch" thing, but you're still walking on pretty thing ice. Like you said, the circles see very little profit from their work as is, so aren't you worried about thwarting their future success by letting people see their stuff for free? And secondly, this stuff is technically fanart/fanfiction, and you'd never display someone else's stuff on your page without asking permission, right? So don't you think there's something a little wrong about this? A: Geez, ya had to hit me with a hard one right at the end, didn't you? Q: Yeah, sorry about that. Anyways? A: Are you still bitter about me not letting you use the images? Q: A little, but come on, this is important. A: Okay, okay. Yeah, there are definitely some problematic aspects to galleries like this, and you've put forth some good arguments. I know that if I were part of a circle, putting my very heart and soul into a book, I'd probably be miffed if I saw some of my stuff online, especially if it pushed down sales of said book. At the same time, there are some other factors to take into consideration:
Anything else? Q: Nope. A: You sure? Q: Nothing comes to mind. A: Good! Damn, you're tough! Now I know why I don't do many FAQ's! Q: Oh, hang on, I think I've got another-- A: Too late, I'm leaving. Q: Hey, come back! I've got more questions! Q: ... Q: Ah Hell.
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