In short
- Ci-en is run by EISYS Inc., DLsite's operator. R-18 creators use ci-en.dlsite.com; all-ages creators use ci-en.net.
- Drawn and written adult work is allowed with an R-18 rating and mosaics. Live-action sexual content and AI-led work are banned.
- Monthly plans pay 10% on all-ages pages and 13% on R-18. Ci-en pays the domestic bank transfer fee.
- Payouts need 5,000 yen per sales type; overseas creators without a Japanese account are paid through PayPal in yen.
What Ci-en is
Ci-en (シエン) is a creator support site launched in 2018 by EISYS Inc. (株式会社エイシス), the company that runs the DLsite download store. It describes itself as a site designed to help fans support their favorite creators on an ongoing basis
. The site comes in two halves: ci-en.dlsite.com for R-18 creators, behind a click-through that asks あなたは18歳以上ですか？
(are you 18 or older?), and ci-en.net for all ages.
Creators sell monthly plans priced from 100 to 100,000 yen in one-yen steps, up to 10 plans each. They can also run crowdfunding, sell back numbers of past months, take tips and monthly add-ons, and since late 2025 sell one-off articles that fans buy without joining a plan (a feature still marked beta). Fans can follow on a free plan, and creators can hand out free tickets that let someone try a paid plan.
The daily article ranking shows what the site is mostly used for: progress posts from doujin game circles. Illustration and manga are among the creator types on Ci-en's own example pages, but game circles dominate the ranking.
Who it suits
Ci-en fits doujin circles that already sell finished works on DLsite. Linking a DLsite circle puts a Ci-en link on its DLsite work and circle pages, so buyers of one release can find the monthly diary for the next. A manga circle can post pages in progress for backers and point them to the finished book when it is released.
It fits less well for an artist with no DLsite presence, for one whose readers pay with Visa or Mastercard, or for one who wants an English-language community. The interface has an English option, but parts of it are untranslated, and creators post in Japanese.
For a supporter, Ci-en is how to back a doujin circle month by month and keep every month paid for, even after leaving.
What adult work Ci-en allows and what it bans
Ci-en's creator help allows adult expression 適切なレーティング設定と適切な掲載場所であることを条件に
(on condition of an appropriate rating and an appropriate place), meaning an R-18 rating on the R-18 site. Icons and cover images may not carry adult imagery. Two kinds of work are out entirely: 実写を主体とし、性表現のあるコンテンツ
(content based on live action with sexual expression) and AIでの生成物を主体としたコンテンツ
(content mainly generated by AI).
Mosaics
The compliance policy bans 性器があからさまに表現されているもの
(explicitly shown genitals) and sets a size: a mosaic of at least 4 pixels square, and for images whose long side is 400 pixels or more, blocks of about 1/100 of that long side. Transparent mosaics do not count: 処理が施されていても透過により細部が明瞭になっているものは隠蔽に含まれない
(if details show through, it is not concealment). Simple single-line genitals with no detail may skip concealment. Why Japanese platforms require this is explained in our glossary entry on mosaic censorship.
The under-18 rule
Ci-en's compliance policy has the most concrete under-18 rule of the Japanese platforms covered here. It bans 明らかに幼児を対象とした性的表現がされているもの
(sexual expression clearly aimed at small children) and:
対象が18歳未満と受け止められる可能性が高い表記（小学生、中学生、園児、幼児、幼女、児童等）及びアイテム（ランドセル、園児服、スモック、名札（何年何組）等の画像）
In English: wording likely to be read as meaning the subject is under 18 (the list names school grades and words for small children) and items such as a randoseru school satchel, preschool clothes, smocks or a name tag with a grade and class. The policy does not say every character must be an adult, but it bans both the words and the props that signal otherwise. Other bans cover obscene material, distorted sexual depictions, extreme violence and discrimination. Linking to social media or storage that holds banned content counts as posting it.
ID and age checks
Creator registration is free, needs a viviON ID, and is closed to anyone under 18: ※18歳未満の方はクリエイター登録できません。
The help pages read describe no photo ID step beyond that. Supporters on the R-18 side pass the "are you 18 or older" click-through. The terms were not read in full, so the supporter minimum age is not confirmed.
Ci-en fees
The fee table, updated October 28, 2026 and unchanged since at least April 2026:
| Sales type | All-ages | R-18 |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plans (with back numbers, add-ons, tips, gift tickets) | 10% | 13% |
| Crowdfunding | 10% | 15% |
| One-off articles (beta) | 15% | 15% |
A 1,000 yen R-18 plan leaves 870 yen, and Ci-en pays the domestic transfer fee, so 870 yen is what reaches a Japanese bank. Registration has no monthly charge. No withholding tax is deducted. The same pledge leaves 871 yen on pixivFANBOX before its 200 yen bank fee, and 875 yen on Fantia before its 330 yen claim fee. All the rates sit together on the creator fees page.
Payouts
Ci-en closes each month at month end and pays by bank transfer by the 20th of the following month. The threshold is per sales type: 月額プラン・クラウドファンディング・買い切り記事で、それぞれ5千円に満たない場合は、5千円を越えるまで翌月支払日へ順次繰り越されます
. Plans, crowdfunding and one-off articles each have to reach 5,000 yen on their own, or that type rolls over to the next payday. Sales lapse after 360 days without new sales.
Two other routes exist. A creator can take earnings as viviON points credited to their DLsite account by the end of the following month, with no threshold and no rollover. Overseas creators who cannot open a Japanese account are paid through PayPal in yen and bear the PayPal fees. Online money-transfer services are refused. Payout reach on other platforms is compared on our payout methods page.
How supporters pay, the statement and how to leave
Card payments accept JCB only, with 3-D Secure. The other ways to pay are Paidy (pay later) and viviON points bought on DLsite, which can themselves be paid by card, e-money, net banking, convenience store, d払い, WebMoney, BitCash and Paidy. Ci-en notes that support from some foreign-issued cards may fail. When cards narrowed to JCB is not stated anywhere we found.
The first month is charged when you join. After that the plan renews at month end: a card is authorized from the 21st to the last day of the month and charged on the 1st from 10:00. Ci-en does not publish the wording that appears on a card statement, and its refund policy for supporters was not available on the pages read.
To change or leave a plan, open the supporter info page (支援情報) and use 「プラン変更」. One window is locked: from 21:00 on the last day of the month until midnight, plans cannot be changed or left. After leaving, Creator articles from a month during which you supported can be viewed even if you've stopped supporting them.
One-off articles disappear if the creator leaves Ci-en.
Apps
- BrowserYesWebsite at ci-en.dlsite.com (R-18) and ci-en.net (all ages).
Ci-en is a website. App availability was not checked, and Ci-en's help does not mention one.
Recent policy changes
- April 2018: Ci-en launches.
- July 21, 2023: card renewals change to authorization from the 21st to month end, charge on the 1st.
- Late 2025: one-off articles open as a beta.
- January 2026: one-off articles get their own sales statement and their own 5,000 yen threshold.
- By April 16, 2026: the R-18 fee split (13% plans, 15% crowdfunding) appears in the help table. No dated announcement of it was found.
- October 28, 2026: fee table last updated, same rates.
Ci-en's operator also runs DLsite, which lost Visa and Mastercard on April 3, 2024 and American Express a day later; JCB is still the only card brand there. That story is on our news page on Japanese card cutoffs.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 13% on R-18 plans, with Ci-en paying the domestic transfer fee
- Links straight from DLsite circle and work pages
- Supporters keep every month they paid for
- PayPal payouts for overseas creators, or points with no threshold
Cons
- Card payments are JCB only
- A 5,000 yen bank threshold for each sales type separately
- No live-action sexual content and no AI-led work
- Mostly game-development diaries, so comic circles are a minority
Alternatives
pixivFANBOX and Fantia are the other two Japanese fan-plan sites with R-18 allowed. FANBOX charges 12.9% on R-18 pages, accepts Visa and Mastercard, and pays creators outside Japan through PayPal with no transfer fee. Fantia charges 12.5% on drawn work and sells downloads and goods alongside plans, but pays abroad only to permanent residents with 50,000 yen in sales. Skeb, a commission site, is for one-off pieces and comic pages.
For English-speaking backers, Patreon and SubscribeStar take Western cards and need no mosaics, at the price of stricter theme rules. The Japanese options are ranked on the best platforms for hentai artists; everything else is on the creators hub.
FAQ
What is Ci-en on DLsite?
A fan-support site run by EISYS, DLsite's operator. Creators post articles and perks for monthly backers. The R-18 side is ci-en.dlsite.com and the all-ages side is ci-en.net.
How do I pay on Ci-en without a JCB card?
Use Paidy, or buy viviON points on DLsite with another method (e-money, net banking, convenience store, d払い, WebMoney, BitCash or Paidy) and pay with points.
Can overseas creators use Ci-en?
Yes. Creators who cannot open a Japanese bank account are paid through PayPal in yen and bear the fees, or can take viviON points.
How much does Ci-en take?
10% of all-ages plan income and 13% of R-18 plan income. Crowdfunding is 10% or 15%, and one-off articles 15%. Ci-en pays the domestic bank fee.
Final verdict
Verdict
Ci-en makes the most sense for a doujin circle that already sells on DLsite and wants monthly backers between releases, at a 13% R-18 fee with transfer costs covered. Comic artists outside that world, or with Western readers who pay by Visa or Mastercard, will find FANBOX, Patreon or SubscribeStar easier to fund.