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Doujinshi Artist Claims Downloads of Work Are 10-Times Higher Than Sales

While many anime and manga fans are still joyfully recounting their experiences at the most recent Comiket 85, which took place the last week of December, not all who participated are happy from that week.

Recently, doujinshi artist Shintarou Takemori (part of the circle Susano Arashi) took to Twitter to despair that downloads of his most recent hentai doujinshi were ten-times that of actual Comiket sales.

In response, illustrator @Maku_raco, who goes by the alias Makura Kitsune, Tweeted that he had been following other doujinshi artists, many of whom were threatening to quit, who were saying that their works were likewise immediately uploaded online without their permission, and downloaded "several times more" than physical sales. Makura Kitsune goes on to say that the "encouragement" that the artists receive, along the lines of "But isn't it good that many people are supporting your work?" and "It's because it's popular!" are breaking his heart.

[Via Yaraon; cover image from @tkmr_shintaro's Twitter]