Table of Contents
Pixiv
Pixiv1) is a Japanese website that allows artists to share their illustrations, animation frames,2) manga, and novels. It was co-founded by Takahiro Kamitani and Takanori Katagiri on September 10, 2007, notably inspired by the convenience of Flickr's tagging system.3)
Summary
The platform was designed to help people find artwork, so it has a simple tag registration system, a comment section, and a supplementary encyclopedia to provide context. In addition, they also have an e-commerce platform called 'Boost', a membership platform called 'Pixiv Fanbox', a streaming service at 'Pixiv Sketch Live', and artists may choose to accept requests, but it's like Skeb where you have to be very specific.4)
General tips
For artists, it's highly suggested that you avoid filling all 10 slots as it prevents other users from adding useful tags,5) but do the bare minimum (e.g. tag the source material, tag the characters) so users can actually find your work.6) For all users, Pixiv does have community guidelines that prohibit misuse of the tagging system, so you can actually report these works and cite these specific passages:
「作品内容に無関係なタグを付加する行為」
“Adding tags that are unrelated to the content of a work”
「本サービスでは、制作過程のすべて、もしくはほとんどをAI（人工知能）を用いて生成した作品に関して、AI生成作品のチェックを必須とします。」
“The Service defines “AI-generated” work as work in which all or most of the production process is carried out by AI (artificial intelligence). All AI-generated work posted to the Service must be labeled as such.”
List of novel genres
| Genre name | Translated name | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| █ | 恋愛 | Renai | Romance |
| █ | 異世界ファンタジー | Isekai Fantajī | Isekai Fantasy |
| █ | 現代ファンタジー | Gendai Fantajī | Contemporary Fantasy |
| █ | ミステリー | Misuterī | Mystery |
| █ | ホラー | Horā | Horror |
| █ | SF | Esu Efu | Sci-fi |
| █ | 文学 | Bungaku | Literature |
| █ | ヒューマンドラマ | Hyūman Dorama | Drama |
| █ | 歴史・時代 | Rekishi Jidai | Historical Pieces |
| █ | BL | Bī Eru | Boys' Love |
| █ | 百合 | Yuri | Yuri |
| █ | 子供向け | Kodomo-muke | For Kids |
| █ | 詩 | Uta | Poetry |
| █ | エッセイ・ノンフィクション | Essei Nonfikushon | Essays & Non-fiction |
| █ | シナリオ・台本 | Shinario Daihon | Screenplays & Scripts |
| █ | 評論・感想 | Hyōron Kansō | Critique & Impressions |
| █ | その他 | Sonohoka | Other |
Third-party tools
- Pixiv Toolkit
A convenient downloading extension. You can also generate GIFs, APNGs, WEBMs, EPUBs, etc. - Translate Pixiv Tags
Danbooru-adjacent userscript that attempts to pull a more accurate tag translation.
Notes
- In 2008, the company claimed 70% of their userbase lurk, while 30% actually upload content.7)
- The tagging system has a strict 30-minute cooldown to deter vandalism, but it can be a massive pain if you made a typo or end up attaching the wrong tag because the suggested tags updated.
External links
- Pixiv - The front page of Pixiv.
- @pixiv on Twitter - The official Twitter account.
- Pixiv Encyclopedia (English) - The front page of Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- Pixiv on Pixiv Encyclopedia
- Pixiv and Pixiv Controversy on Niconico Encyclopedia