Comiket was not ordinary, however. Seeing people get literally pushed against the railings as the doors open, a guy sitting next to me summed it all up nicely.

 “Comiket is war.”

Those who have seen Genshiken, Lucky Star, or been present at the likes of the San Diego Comic-Con might think they know what this “war” means: long lines, crowds of people fighting for shirts, and a parade of people dressed up as their favorite characters. It’s mostly the same, right?

Wrong.

To compare Comiket to your typical stateside geekcon is like comparing Metallica to Blink 182. There are some superficial similarities, but it really is a whole other animal.  Starting in 1975, the Comic Market, or Comiket for short, became Japan’s largest non-industry, non-governmental convention. Since then, Comiket grew from around 7,000 attendees to a giant mega-fest that boasted an all-time record of 560,000 people for all three days this year.

It is a market in the truest sense of the word. Those used to the idea of panels discussing the history of mecha anime or late night quiz shows will be in for disappointment here. It is nothing less than an artist gallery of the highest order. Over 35,000 “circles,” or artist groups, gathered around to sell, buy and trade various doujinshi. There’s also the corporate section where big-name companies sell exclusive merchandise, but the real fun is to be had with the fans.

The word doujinshi is commonly mistaken in Western fandom to refer exclusively to what amounts to pornographic fan-drawn comics of favorite anime TV shows. While adult material is a given in the wacky world of Comiket, it is by no means the only game in the town. Many of the comics are just G- or PG-rated fan-made side stories exploring sides of favorite characters. It’s not just limited to anime either: almost everything and anything can be into a doujinshi. Works both past and present get the fan treatment: Kamen Rider stories illustrated using toy figures; Heroes 4-koma with strong boys’ love undertones; magical girl show PreCure crossed over with a famous horror manga; and even Knight Rider featuring manga David Hasselhoff can be found here. More recently, doujin music and games have also become popular.

For all the randomness on display for sale on the booths themselves, it’s remarkably restrained when compared to your typical U.S. convention. Gone is the Mardi Gras-esque chaos that one might find at Anime Expo. Any attempts to look for yaoi paddles or “witty” cardboard signs will be in vain. Likewise, the time-worn practice of glomping is more inclined to get one escorted off the premises than anything else.  Yes, there may a gal or five in full cosplay gear shopping around the booths, but photography is strictly prohibited outside the designated cosplay garden. Even stricter, inside the premises, all non-press would-be photographers are met with a slightly panicked look followed by a firm “No!”

This isn’t to be rude. Many of these artists are really just fans out to get their work seen. While much has been made of superstars, like former amateur artists CLAMP and Haibane Renmei’s Yoshitoshi Abe and the success of the doujin game-based Tsukihime and When They Cry, it should be stressed that these are the exceptions vastly outnumbered by the mere hobbyist or talented college kid. Rather than fame, the artist’s ultimate goal is the expression of their fandom.

It also bears in mind that many artists have genuine concern for their safety, both personal and professional. One artist, who had some very amusing pictures of various mecha anthropomorphized into metal-clad anime girls, directly told us, “If this gets to my company, they’re going to fire me!”

It wasn’t all fear and loathing in Tokyo Vegas however, considering that just as many authors were open and offered their quirky insights to us.  One thread that kept recurring was the motivation behind doing doujinshi. Whether it was Sutahtei Endo doing a punk rock comic on beloved children’s characters, or Circle njs’ dark yet surprisingly emotional piece on Evangelion’s Rei and Shinji, the reason given was simple: “There are stories that we want to hear but they are not made, so we make them instead."

View Photos from Comiket 76

Anime3000 wishes to express a very sincere “Thank you!” to all the doujin artists and cosplayers who took their time to speak or have their photos taken by us.