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00:00This is not an ordinary book.
00:06This is a self-published book by Doujinshi,
00:10which was born from the idea of freedom of expression.
00:15There are a lot of things.
00:17It is expressed in various genres, such as manga and novels.
00:20Each book is full of individuality,
00:22and many professional manga artists have been expelled from here.
00:26However, we don't know much about how Doujinshi makes books,
00:30who makes them, and how they are sold.
00:38The company that supports Doujinshi in Kage is
00:42Eiko in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
00:45In order to make the dream of the authors come true,
00:48they collect trust from all over the country
00:50by special processing and printing.
00:53That's important.
00:55At the time of its founding, Eiko was a small local printing company.
01:00How did it become an indispensable part of the Doujinshi industry?
01:05There was a meeting and challenge with some young people behind it.
01:12I was looking down because I was doing Doujinshi.
01:18The world of Doujinshi is unknown.
01:21Let's find out if the company that supports Doujinshi is right.
01:44Our generation is a bit like Doujinshi.
01:47It's like a parody of a popular manga.
01:50I have an image that I enjoy that kind of thing.
01:53It's changed a lot now.
01:55It has become quite a major event in the comic market.
01:59There are tens of thousands of people in the comic market.
02:02Not only that, but also in cafes and bookstores,
02:06there is a secret boom in Shosa City's Little Press.
02:10Doujinshi is spreading.
02:13The company that supports Doujinshi is coming today, right?
02:20Yes.
02:22Little Press has become a hot topic in the publishing industry in recent years.
02:27It is a self-produced publication that is made with a small number of copies,
02:31which is completely different from mass-produced commercial publishing.
02:35The charm of Little Press is endless.
02:38I think it's good that you can make it freely.
02:42Whether it's a cover or a title,
02:45you can make it freely.
02:47It's not something you can easily make with a regular publication.
02:51It's not just a sales promotion,
02:53but it's something that was made with passion.
02:56This self-produced publication boom was the starting point
03:00of the Doujinshi Manga Exhibition Comic Market, which began in 1975.
03:06As the number of exhibitions increased,
03:09it grew into the world's largest Doujinshi Exhibition,
03:13which gathers 750,000 people in four days in 2019.
03:22Now, such Doujinshi and self-published Little Press events
03:27are held all over the country every week.
03:30I'm sure they're doing it.
03:32At first, Doujinshi was intended to interact with fans,
03:36but now it's become an indispensable role for publishers
03:40who have professional manga artists.
03:44Before you become a professional,
03:46it's not a test of your ability,
03:48but it's like the eggs of a manga artist.
03:51I think it's probably the basis of that.
03:54I think it's very important to make a work
03:57and see if you can continue to do it.
04:02It's a great honor for Hiroshima Prefecture
04:05to have a company that has many authors
04:08who challenge self-publishing.
04:11We have 30,000 books from 10,000 customers a year.
04:17That's millions of copies a year.
04:2330,000 copies a year may not seem like a lot,
04:27but how much is that?
04:31What you see on the wall
04:35is the number of copies of each customer's work.
04:40That's amazing.
04:41We have 30,000 books for 101 years.
04:46That's amazing.
04:48The company is based in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
04:53It's a local printing company,
04:55but it's attracting orders from all over the country.
04:59But with the advent of paperless printing,
05:02the demand for paper media is declining.
05:05How is that affecting the company?
05:11The number of paper media advertising
05:14is decreasing dramatically.
05:18I think the same phenomenon
05:20will occur in the printing industry
05:23where the number of copies is decreasing.
05:26The revenue from commercial publishing
05:29is taken from e-commerce.
05:33Books and magazines published by publishers
05:36are called commercial magazines,
05:38but in recent years, paper publishing has declined
05:41and e-commerce has increased sales.
05:44In such an era,
05:46a company where paper media,
05:48such as Zoujinshi,
05:50accounts for most of the sales,
05:52will e-commerce be affected?
05:56In the case of Zoujinshi,
05:58it's meaningful to have a book to collect,
06:01so it's not just about being able to see it.
06:06That's right.
06:07Zoujinshi and Little Press
06:09don't just throw away books after reading them.
06:12There are overwhelmingly many people
06:14who value them as a collection.
06:16The company's advanced printing technology
06:19is to tickle the collector's spirit
06:22by printing a book.
06:26This is a typewriter.
06:28There are about 20 types,
06:31and you can type on this paper.
06:36This is the most standard special type
06:39that's been around for a long time.
06:41Typing is very popular.
06:45In the world of Zoujinshi,
06:47where there are many female writers,
06:49special printing is especially popular.
06:54In response to that need,
06:56the company has always adopted new technology
06:59and continues to evolve.
07:02This is the latest type of machine
07:05that was introduced in October last year.
07:09You can put a collection list
07:11and a box on the cover of Zoujinshi.
07:15You can put that on top of the machine.
07:20Nisu is a type of processing
07:22that gives gloss to the surface of paper.
07:25And atsumori is a technique
07:27that creates a three-dimensional gloss
07:30when the light hits it
07:32by applying a certain part of the nisu thickly.
07:35It's a technique that creates an eye-catching finish.
07:38For example, it is a type of processing
07:41that is used in books and magazines.
07:45This time, we decided to use it
07:48on the cover of a book.
07:53This kind of special processing
07:55is also one of the charms of Zoujinshi.
07:58In the case of commercial paper,
08:00the lot is large,
08:02so special processing
08:04will cost a lot of money
08:06for one book.
08:09At Zoujinshi,
08:11instead of printing large quantities,
08:13we specialize in small quantities,
08:15such as 10 to 100 copies,
08:17to provide a detailed service.
08:20We have established our own position
08:22by measuring the differentiation with other companies.
08:27As the number of printing companies
08:29that are closed due to COVID-19 increases,
08:31Zoujinshi specializes in small quantities
08:33of self-produced books
08:35to increase sales.
08:37However, Zoujinshi is not always in full swing.
08:41There was a time when I was looked down
08:43because I was working at Zoujinshi.
08:47The reason why the company
08:49started working at Zoujinshi
08:51was the opportunity to meet a university student.
08:54From there,
08:55a counterattack was waiting for Zoujinshi
08:57to spread all over the country.
09:00President Okada of A.Co. came to the studio.
09:02Nice to meet you.
09:04Nice to meet you.
09:06Most of the sales of Zoujinshi
09:08are made by Zoujinshi.
09:10Did Zoujinshi start
09:12and become more profitable?
09:15It's been more than 30 years since Zoujinshi started.
09:18Other printing companies
09:20didn't even look at the work
09:22that only made about 100 copies.
09:24At that time, I didn't have much work,
09:26so I worked hard on it,
09:28and when I did it,
09:30it spread by word of mouth.
09:3230 years ago,
09:34there was no internet,
09:36so Zoujinshi could do it.
09:38Yes, that's right.
09:40Today, we brought
09:42a special Zoujinshi
09:44that the company appraised.
09:46Oh, here it is.
09:48It's the one in the VTR.
09:50This is a Zoujinshi
09:52that is made by Atsumori,
09:54and this is a Zoujinshi
09:56that is not made by Atsumori.
09:58Can you see the three-dimensional effect?
10:00There are a lot of patterns.
10:02I want to collect this.
10:04Also,
10:06you can't feel it digitally,
10:08but you can feel it
10:10with your hands.
10:12I think this is
10:14irresistible.
10:16I imagine that
10:18the people who made it
10:20and the people who buy it
10:22will be happy.
10:24Of course,
10:26when it is specially processed,
10:28it can be specially processed
10:30even with a small rod,
10:32so people are happy
10:34to use it.
10:36How did the company
10:38start printing
10:40Zoujinshi?
10:42Zoujinshi
10:44Zoujinshi
10:46Zoujinshi
10:48Zoujinshi
10:50Zoujinshi
10:52Zoujinshi
10:54Zoujinshi
10:56Zoujinshi
10:58Zoujinshi
11:00Zoujinshi
11:02Zoujinshi
11:04Zoujinshi
11:06Zoujinshi
11:08Zoujinshi
11:10Zoujinshi
11:12Zoujinshi
11:14Zoujinshi
11:16Zoujinshi
11:18Zoujinshi
11:20Zoujinshi
11:22Zoujinshi
11:24I think it was difficult because there was no print that would be the main one.
11:33In 1987, 12 years after the company was founded, a big change in the company came.
11:45There was a request from the Okayama University circle to make a copy of the Dojinshi.
11:53It was an amateur book, so we made about 100 copies.
12:00Today, there are no high-performance copy machines or printers.
12:06The manuscript was all handwritten.
12:11In the case of a book, you don't make a sheet of paper.
12:15You line up about 8 pages at a time and print them on the back and front.
12:21In the case of Nakatoji, the actual connection is like this.
12:29It's the last 16 pages that are connected to one page.
12:35So when you actually print, you have to print these two next to each other.
12:41Today, most of the manuscript is delivered by data, and the pages are automatically calculated and laid out.
12:49However, at the time, all the manuscripts were lined up by hand.
12:54It took a lot of time and effort to finish a manuscript that was over 100 pages.
13:01At the time, it was a time of rapid growth in Showa.
13:06Normal printing companies were busy and couldn't even do their own work.
13:11At that time, there was plenty of time, so I thought I'd give it a try.
13:20However, the reaction from people around him was cold when he took over the work of the Dojinshi.
13:28The Dojinshi are now in a pretty good position in society.
13:32It's one of the Japanese subcultures.
13:36At that time, there was a time when only small companies could do small jobs because they were doing Dojinshi.
13:47Even in such a situation, he continued to make each and every one carefully.
13:53As a result, the goodness of the finished product gradually spread by word of mouth.
13:57When I see that the manuscript is closed in the form of a real book,
14:03even now, I am very happy.
14:07At that time, among the students who belonged to the manga circle of Okayama University,
14:12there was a person who became a professional manga artist who later created a hit work.
14:17He was the one who supported the egg of a manga artist.
14:21That's amazing.
14:24One of them, after becoming active as a professional,
14:28continues to make Dojinshi at the company.
14:31I'm going to talk to Mr. Suzuki Sanami.
14:35Since I was in junior high school, I've always wanted to make a copybook.
14:41I've always had the excitement of becoming a magazine.
14:46Mr. Suzuki Sanami has been active as a cook for a magazine called Kajiki,
14:52which was serialized in Shonen Jump Plus.
14:57He also continues to make Dojinshi.
15:00What is the reason for that?
15:04I simply draw what I want to draw.
15:08Even if I publish it in a magazine,
15:12I try to use Dojinshi to illustrate what I couldn't put together in a short story.
15:17What about the special processing that the company is working on?
15:22I think it's a great place to print at the same time,
15:27such as putting gold leaf on something like a paper that can't be reproduced by electronics.
15:35It's good to put it on a bookshelf and look at it side by side,
15:39and the feeling of flipping it over is still the same.
15:46And what is the number one reason for choosing a company?
15:51Among various printers, the deadline is relatively late,
15:56and I think there are many people who want to draw a work to the last minute.
16:03The earliest time for our products is
16:07from 8 a.m. to 17 p.m. in the evening,
16:12so we make a book in 9 hours and ship it.
16:16This is the shortest course.
16:20If there is a deadline, the author wants to make as good a work as possible,
16:26and the later the deadline, the more grateful he is.
16:29That's why the company is making such an effort.
16:34A company that creates the best print that all authors want,
16:39regardless of amateur or professional.
16:42What are the thoughts hidden behind it?
16:47I was surprised.
16:50Order at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
16:54What kind of separation technique are you doing?
16:56We have received a lot of orders,
17:00and to do that, we are working 24 hours a day.
17:07Is that so?
17:09But there are moments when you can't handle it?
17:13Yes.
17:15There are a lot of orders in the comic market.
17:19It's amazing to see people who are collecting comics.
17:23We get about 10% of the orders.
17:27How do you feel about that?
17:34If you extend the deadline a little, you can make a better work.
17:40I understand that feeling.
17:43I'm sorry, but I'm also a manga artist.
17:47Since you were a manga artist,
17:50we brought you a manga that President Okada created.
17:54It's huge.
17:58It's a work from the amateur era.
18:01There was a boom called Ganbare Tabuchi-kun.
18:04I've been watching it for a long time.
18:07Mr. Nakagata is from Komazawa University.
18:09I see.
18:11There was a huge offer from a manga club in Komazawa University.
18:17There was an offer?
18:19That's right.
18:21This is from Mr. Hara.
18:23We were recognized for this,
18:25and as a professional, we serialized it into a monthly magazine.
18:28It's a four-page magazine.
18:30I want to read it.
18:32This is interesting.
18:34This is a one-of-a-kind picture.
18:36It's going to be a hit someday.
18:39It's going to be a hit.
18:41You can make it into a show-lot.
18:43It's a one-of-a-kind magazine.
18:46You don't write manga anymore?
18:50I don't write manga now, of course.
18:53But I knew what I was capable of,
18:56so I decided to work in a printing company
19:00because I wanted to make a work for everyone.
19:02I see.
19:04What kind of service is this?
19:07A professional mangaka's experience
19:10and a manga artist's passion.
19:14This is a novelist from Hiroshima.
19:17Her name is Hirosa Sakurakawa.
19:20She debuted in 2016.
19:22She won the Grand Prix at the Net Novels Awards.
19:25She's very popular.
19:27I started writing manga when I was in first grade.
19:29Before that, I used to look at school textbooks.
19:35When she became a member of society,
19:38she wrote her first novel in a company.
19:41At that time...
19:43At first, it was difficult for me to write a book.
19:47When I couldn't write a good manuscript,
19:51I got a phone call.
19:53They asked me,
19:54What should I do?
19:56They asked me carefully.
19:58It was very helpful.
20:00You don't start as a professional.
20:03You start as an amateur,
20:05a high school student,
20:07or a college student who doesn't know anything.
20:10You may fail.
20:12There are many things you don't know.
20:15So I try to help you as much as possible.
20:18If it's a company that makes huge orders every day,
20:21they usually want to minimize the time they spend on each person.
20:26But in a company...
20:29If you want to get a lot of work every day,
20:32you need to have a trust relationship.
20:35It's not like going to the cheapest printing company in Japan to get all the work.
20:41I see.
20:43There are special feelings that the company has cherished.
20:48The most important thing is to get along with the writer's feelings.
20:55On this day, Mr. Sakurakawa's new novel was completed.
21:00To sell the book at the Tokyo Big Sight,
21:04he immediately sent out the finished book.
21:10The next morning, the book arrived at the event venue,
21:13and the staff at the venue carefully delivered it to the table.
21:20In the case of normal printing,
21:23it would be delivered to one place,
21:26but our job is to order from an individual
21:30and deliver it to the bottom of the table at the event venue.
21:36Otherwise, the customers can't carry such a load.
21:43The event is about to start.
21:46On this day, more than 15,000 people came.
21:49It was full of enthusiasm.
21:51Mr. Sakurakawa, who was holding the booth, was also present at the venue.
21:56The finished book was safely delivered to him.
22:00I actually wanted to meet the readers,
22:04so I wanted to go to the event first.
22:08I really like commercial publishing,
22:11and I think it's a good medium to write about the genre you want to try.
22:19The staff printed the book very beautifully,
22:23so when I received it, I was very impressed.
22:31We are a major company in the niche industry.
22:34I want to continue to be a company that can realize the desire to make books
22:40in line with the needs of our customers.
22:44A company that shapes the dream of wanting to make books.
22:49A new story has been born today.
22:54Is the demand for co-authored books increasing?
22:59Yes. What has changed is that there are more genres.
23:02Not only manga, but also novels and scenario books.
23:08All kinds of books have become easier to make,
23:13so the overall demand has increased.
23:16If you think you can make it even more niche,
23:20you can do anything.
23:23I want to talk about the corner of the desk.
23:26If you want to put that photo and comment in one book,
23:29you can make it.
23:32I want to continue my work to shape my passion.
23:39I want to make a company that you can rely on at any time.
23:44Mr. Yashima, please tell us about today's lesson.
23:49This time,
23:51you can't get the most orders at the cheapest price.
23:56As Mr. Okada said in the VTR,
24:01I think it's natural to get orders at the cheapest price.
24:05I think it's very healthy that it doesn't happen.
24:11Mr. Okada wrote the original manga,
24:14and he has the power to get along with the authors.
24:17I think it's a result of his achievements.
24:20I'm looking forward to it.
24:22Thank you very much for today.