Doujinshi

Print Works are often a bit more of a different beast than Games. While with games, often something like the story can be a bit ignored if the gameplay is often the main focus. Games where the story is the main focus live and die on that. And while there are a few exceptions in print works, primarily works in which the art is the main focus, print works need to focus on telling a story alongside often giving good art. This also includes genres and the like.

And why using the solitary word "Doujin" for print works rather than Doujinshi? Force-a-habit.

As I don’t read Japanese, the majority of these works do have fan translated offerings. Alongside the fact that the majority of these will be manga based titles. As much as I would love to dive into light novels, there aren’t that many sites that offer fan translated ones for Touhou that I know of.

Where do you get these?

This is both less and more complex than fan games as well. A lot of works are often released at conventions. These primarily being the Comiket and Reitaisai conventions. So if you’re ever in Japan during these conventions, you might find some popular artists showcasing new works. But what if you are someone like me and aren’t in Japan? Well, often a lot of artists and authors, especially now are releasing physicals for delivery.

One of the main ones you’ll see linked on profiles is Booth. Mainly as it is tied to Pixiv. Booth, much like how I said in the Fan Games section handles a lot of physical media alongside digital media. Which can be a great tool for a good amount of creators

And much like Booth, Melonbooks handles the exact same things. However, rather than being closer to Etsy, they are a publisher alongside it. The main issue is that compared to Booth, which has a full English UI, Melonbooks instead handles it with Google translate. Which is a bit of an annoyance.

There are a few more, things like AKIBA-HOBBY and a few other sites. However I haven’t used them and I prefer to try and recommend sites that I have used to more at least understand the process a bit more.

However, this is also noting one other thing. I’m talking about newer doujins. A good amount of these doujinshis are often much older because of the fact that they need to be scanned, translated and in occasions, edited with those translated.

While I use Buyee for the majority of my proxy stuff. It’s primarily due to the translated side for things of the Yahoo Shopping sections. Which has both direct shopping and auctions. Yahoo Shopping is primarily second hand stuff and can be a bit of a bitch to work with at times.

Comparatively, I genuinely prefer using Mandarake for second hand stuff. Primarily as they are a collection of stores within Akihabara that handle doujin related goods. A lot of them.

Recommened Doujinshi

Unlike the Fangames, recommending doujins is both easier and much, much, harder to do. It's easier as rather than having to focus on a multitude of aspects on what parts of a game make it good and if the bad outweighs the good, often with doujins, it's more if the story itself is good. With more caveats for things like having to bring up trigger warnings and if the artist isn't the best.

However, this is also where it is harder. As with games, it's easier to point to the game on a platform and go there. But with a good few of these, some of the releases are years old and aren't being sold or even the author has whiped their works. So while I will be avoiding rehosting sites due to personal preferance, I'll be trying my best to provide a link to the artist at least.

Artist

Often, I do find that there are authors and artists that have their entire collection of translated works that actually do vibe with me. As such, this is a collection of those whom I recommend.

Comparatively, there are also stories that I feel stand out from other authors that I just enjoy too much to not recommend. Even if I don’t like parts or even the majority of their catalogue.

Why I Don't Eat "Human"

Rumia in the community is odd. Why? She’s literally the first boss in the windows era. And even in 6, all we get is that she is of no importance. Apart from one thing from her info sheet. Her ribbon? It’s a charm that she is unable to touch. And with that, the fans went wild with speculation with how with what this all could mean. Is she a wildly powerful youkai with a literal limiter in her hair? Is she something more to the past of Gensokyo? Is she tied to Reimu?

But then you have this. It inverts one of her key things. One of the community things is that unlike a lot of youkais, she is considered highly dangerous to humans because she has no qualms to just attack to eat. But this doujinshi gives her a reason to why she would attack humans, but not eat them. Alongside giving her a reason she holds the title of Youkai of the Dusk. If you’re looking for a read that is a good origin for a character. I honestly recommend reading this. Because while it is on the shorter side, it is a neat one.

God's Break

I know. Zounose is already in the artists section. But expect a few more of his stories within this section. Why? Legitimately, I need to highlight them more.

Zounose has a favourite character within the entire cast and even over his entire time doing this, it has never changed. Suwako Moriya. But much like all of his other works, Zounose brings the youkai out of everyone. And with Suwako? I legitimately think that Zounose has one of the best designs for her. Because unlike a lot of designs where they play up her more frog nature and being rather small. Zounose instead plays with everything else. Zounose reminds everyone that Suwako was a literal god who is able to shape the earth and has control of literal curse gods.

And what does God’s Curse go into? The beginning of it all. Not the Great Suwa War, where she gave her land to Kanako. But rather... Her changes. How she became how she looks now. And one other major thing. How she has hope again because there is someone after all this time who can see her and Kanako. A new wind priestess. Sanae.

Then again... I don’t think hope is the right word for it.

For what Suwako feels as hope and even states, translated as "This faint, transient hope is..."

For perhaps... It is the first time in ages. She feels faith.

For Faith is for Transient People.

Here No More

Yeah uh. That warning part is fucking weird. But I'm being serious. If you don't know the origins of And Then There Was None, do read the link to understand and why it's both out of fucking nowhere and why it's there. As Flandre has ties to the novel by her spell card of the same name alongside her theme song.

What Demour often specializes in is comedy and the majesty of calling a spell card. Legitimately, there are often very few artists who I’ve seen who I can recall who get calling a spell card as an actual attack as Demour, some are able to get the Danmaku down and just the energy that fights get or just get the actual power one gets. But often they miss one thing that I love. Calling it. I love the actual energy behind how Demour shows spell cards being called. They are often done as large and given as much power just to emphasise how impactful they should be.

So why have this story? I am not a fan of the most common fandom interpretation of Flandre. The childish vampire with as much handle on her powers as she does on sanity. But then you have this story. It plays on that. It plays on a Remilia having regrets for her sister in locked in the basement. But at the same time, understanding for why she is there. And has been there... For even before the SDM was in Gensokyo.

It also has one of the single best pages for Remilia badass-ery and lines ever. I’m breaking my own rule but here. The doujin itself is nearly 16 years old at this point.

I became a fan of Touhou through the Scarlet sisters. To the point that my usernames are permanently etched in places with Scarlet.

Seems like fate that one of my favourite stories is about the two.