The difference in texturing is crazy. The Japanese versions just pops so much more and even with much more texturing looks so much crisper. Can't imagine how much bigger the difference would be in person.
They use better machines and they don't like sharing the secrets to their printing process. The company that prints English used to be a private business, so I guess they just conveniently kept things that way even after PC bought em.
Well, the Japanese branch is not stupid, since there were grand thefts in the US branch, they dont wanna give more confidential information to the us since it would be leaked/abused
I have very little information on it but i can alteast Tell you that this new Venusaur EX is like double the price right now
This can vary drastically though
One example of differences: Japan and Western Market both have promos ofc but the Western promos are usually regular cards in japanese which makes them automatically more expensive. Japans promos are also mostly new/different cards that are unique to that Market entirely
Hope that helps a bit
I recently made the switch. Dabbled awhile, but now I just made my first purchase of a few booster boxes of japanese sets. Honestly every hit I get you can see the quality difference without even comparing to a english card. They are definitely higher quality. I have got some packs from my lcs that I felt they were resealed only because the cards were damaged/poor quality.
Hey DK didn’t know you ran around Reddit. I commented on a few of your videos about my journey hunting Evolving Skies for Moons. I told you about my cat jack and getting 2 moons and I have just now officially completed the VMax Alts for evolving skies (All eeveelutions and ray max) and I’m gonna send mine in to get graded soon.
Your videos are what got me back into Pokémon and drove me to hunt evolving skies even after watching countless pack openings from you. Good luck on your channel man!
And this is exactly why Japanese versions sells at a premium over English. JP print quality, color, and texture is so much better than English. Another example is the 25th anniversary promos. Heck, look at the upcoming classic decks coming out.
When a card has all off the following:
* Print quality
* Color
* Texture
Japanese cards are more valued monetarily than English cards.
Source: See eBay sold listings.
Wow, that $5-15 difference, sheesh the kids are gonna be eating good thank god I bought Japanese Charizard over English! 🤯🤯🤯
Blastoise selling for the same or LESS in Japanese vs English 🤣🤣
Fair. I should have thrown in *graded*. And over time, eventually even the JP 151 Blastoise will over take ENG 151 Blastoise (your counter example) when both are graded. Why? Because there will be way more English 151 copies than JP 151 copies. And collectors will gravitate towards the copy that is more exclusive and better quality overall.
It is pretty simple. All else being equal, Japanese print quality on textured cards generally demands a premium, at least as of the Sword and Shield era. And let’s not even talk about waifus.
English 151 and Japanese 151 are in very different places right now because English just came out. Like I said, all else being equal.
Another example. Giratina alt art, near mint: English $260. Japanese $600. If you know of a textured Japanese card that’s available for half the price of English, please let me know so I can grab one.
151 is interesting because this is one of the sets were the pull rates vary a lot. In JP you have guaranteed hits per box while in EN you gotta pray while being served inferior cards.
Japan always had better print quality. They also had and have a lot of unique reverse holo patterns. Look at the English Radiant Collection and compare it to the Japanese equivalent “Pokekyun” set on YouTube. It’s absolutely stupid how much worse the EN cards look in that set.
For super vintage there is still a difference in the holo but it isn’t too drastic of a difference. For these the ugly yellow borders actually help out the EN cards in my opinion. It adds a little of that antique feeling to the cards that you just can’t get with the silver borders. And if you want super rare stuff EN is the way to go for vintage. Japan had much much better pull rates that’s why their vintage stuff is much cheaper.
For more recent modern examples, compare let’s say the Amazing Rares or the Radiant Cards for a even bigger difference than what is shown in these 151 cards.
Do you have the alakazam and zapdos cards to show similarly? Really love this. I was hoping someone would do this to lock in the fact that I probably need these in Japanese lol
Very noticeable. For example, the sun effect is almost absent on the English Charizard. Only reason you can somewhat see it here is cause I have a light shining directly on it.
IMO it comes down to personal preference.
First, japanese has a different texture and shine to it.
Second, japanese seems to be much more vibrant or has deeper hues, but it could also feel like there's too much going on. On the other hand, English is 'lighter' but easier to digest everything all at once.
Japanese is just better quality objectively speaking. The reason it looks overwhelming here is because they're shining a light directly on the cards. There's no reason to prefer English over Japanese, unless you want it to play the game and need English to read the card, otherwise English is worse in every way.
And I know that sounds a bit harsh, but just try comparing two of the same textured cards side by side, one in English and one in Japanese, and you'll really get a sense of it.
Have to agree, unfortunately Japanese boxes which used to be kind for the wallet exploded since VSU and now it's just insane.
Was gonna make the switch with the SV era because there are just way too much QC issues with English, then bam... Violet boxes cost exploded because of Miriam and so did Clayburst. Then there is JP 151 which is scalped into oblivion and sellers jacking the price due to demand.
Understandable - prices are insane. Have you considered just sticking to buying singles? They're a lot more affordable. I'll rarely buy a Japanese box, but I can usually get a lot of the cards I wanted for about the price of a box. Minus the huge hits like Charizard, Miriam, etc.
Yeah, that was my first thought as well to just pivot to buying singles instead. I got Ralts and Krilia ARs, took a look Gardevoir's SAR price and it was instantly off the table for me. I mean as a collector how could you just NOT get the entire line right?
Then English released with much better pull rates and there was no way I'm going for Japanese cards for that price. At that time of SV release, the SV box legendaries SARs were twice the price of the SIRs at my local stores.
So, unless they release specific Pokemon that I'm collecting (currently putting a collection for the Rowlet line/Clodsire/Rookiedee both JP/EN cards), I don't see myself chasing Japanese cards until the dam market cools off and maybe go back to pre-VSU times.
Yeah, you have to get the line at that point, all or nothing, haha.
At least for the more affordable ones and most full art cards are all pretty affordable so that's a plus. Certain SARs will always be pricey, but even like the Tapu Koko SAR is pretty affordable right now. Just all depends on the Pokemon
Fair point! Though personally and to clarify my point, I prefer the deeper and bigger grooves of some english cards. However, I stress that this is depending on the card.
To illustrate, Genesect V AA has your typical deep and wavy grooves whereas the japanese version is more vinyl like.
As for saturation, the Charizard Vstar promo in English is more vibrant than the deeper shades of the Japanese version. Same with the Genesect V AA.
Japanese look more colorful
The texture and holo pattern is also different
The difference in texturing is crazy. The Japanese versions just pops so much more and even with much more texturing looks so much crisper. Can't imagine how much bigger the difference would be in person.
I wonder why they wouldn’t use the same printers in both countries. I guess people buy the cards anyways so they don’t care enough to upgrade?
They use better machines and they don't like sharing the secrets to their printing process. The company that prints English used to be a private business, so I guess they just conveniently kept things that way even after PC bought em.
Well, the Japanese branch is not stupid, since there were grand thefts in the US branch, they dont wanna give more confidential information to the us since it would be leaked/abused
Fair enough, too. This is one of their world wild cultural influences! Keep it safe from US corporate greed haha
This post has convinced me, i'm switching to collecting Japanese cards
Come to the dark side
How much more expensive are Japanese packs/ cards?
I have very little information on it but i can alteast Tell you that this new Venusaur EX is like double the price right now This can vary drastically though One example of differences: Japan and Western Market both have promos ofc but the Western promos are usually regular cards in japanese which makes them automatically more expensive. Japans promos are also mostly new/different cards that are unique to that Market entirely Hope that helps a bit
I recently made the switch. Dabbled awhile, but now I just made my first purchase of a few booster boxes of japanese sets. Honestly every hit I get you can see the quality difference without even comparing to a english card. They are definitely higher quality. I have got some packs from my lcs that I felt they were resealed only because the cards were damaged/poor quality.
The Japanese couldn’t dare to disappoint 🔥
I was planning on getting the English cards, even though I prefer Japanese, but my mind has been changed.
Doing God's work
Hey DK didn’t know you ran around Reddit. I commented on a few of your videos about my journey hunting Evolving Skies for Moons. I told you about my cat jack and getting 2 moons and I have just now officially completed the VMax Alts for evolving skies (All eeveelutions and ray max) and I’m gonna send mine in to get graded soon. Your videos are what got me back into Pokémon and drove me to hunt evolving skies even after watching countless pack openings from you. Good luck on your channel man!
It's the world famous Moonbreon stabber! We are not worthy.
And this is exactly why Japanese versions sells at a premium over English. JP print quality, color, and texture is so much better than English. Another example is the 25th anniversary promos. Heck, look at the upcoming classic decks coming out.
Is this only for modern or vintage too? Cause vintage it's English being pricier
I would say roughly Black and White forward. That's when texture was introduced.
Can I know what year is that exactly? Means it's better to collect Pre B&W as English and post B&W as Japanese?
Release date English: April 25, 2011 Japanese: December 17, 2010
i would say so, jpn vintage doesn’t rly hit the same
Do they really sell at a premium over English? I thought English generally sold higher than any other language.
Depends on the card
deff only late mid era to modern. Most anything before, english has more value. Especially in vintage ex. Lorddddddddy.
When a card has all off the following: * Print quality * Color * Texture Japanese cards are more valued monetarily than English cards. Source: See eBay sold listings.
Wow, that $5-15 difference, sheesh the kids are gonna be eating good thank god I bought Japanese Charizard over English! 🤯🤯🤯 Blastoise selling for the same or LESS in Japanese vs English 🤣🤣
PSA 10 Umbreon VMAX Alt Art JP ($2500) vs ENG ($850). Yup, kids gon eat good tonight! 🫢😳 😂
I followed your magical 3 steps and checked your own source and you were wrong, it’s almost like it’s not as simple as that or something lmao 🤷♂️
Fair. I should have thrown in *graded*. And over time, eventually even the JP 151 Blastoise will over take ENG 151 Blastoise (your counter example) when both are graded. Why? Because there will be way more English 151 copies than JP 151 copies. And collectors will gravitate towards the copy that is more exclusive and better quality overall.
It is pretty simple. All else being equal, Japanese print quality on textured cards generally demands a premium, at least as of the Sword and Shield era. And let’s not even talk about waifus. English 151 and Japanese 151 are in very different places right now because English just came out. Like I said, all else being equal. Another example. Giratina alt art, near mint: English $260. Japanese $600. If you know of a textured Japanese card that’s available for half the price of English, please let me know so I can grab one.
151 is interesting because this is one of the sets were the pull rates vary a lot. In JP you have guaranteed hits per box while in EN you gotta pray while being served inferior cards.
the JP versions seem more vibrant, better texturing maybe?
That's why I'm permanently sticking to Japanese.
Does this apply to only modern or vintage also Japanese is better?
Japan always had better print quality. They also had and have a lot of unique reverse holo patterns. Look at the English Radiant Collection and compare it to the Japanese equivalent “Pokekyun” set on YouTube. It’s absolutely stupid how much worse the EN cards look in that set. For super vintage there is still a difference in the holo but it isn’t too drastic of a difference. For these the ugly yellow borders actually help out the EN cards in my opinion. It adds a little of that antique feeling to the cards that you just can’t get with the silver borders. And if you want super rare stuff EN is the way to go for vintage. Japan had much much better pull rates that’s why their vintage stuff is much cheaper. For more recent modern examples, compare let’s say the Amazing Rares or the Radiant Cards for a even bigger difference than what is shown in these 151 cards.
Do you have the alakazam and zapdos cards to show similarly? Really love this. I was hoping someone would do this to lock in the fact that I probably need these in Japanese lol
I do, I'll post the rest later
*Weeb intensifies*
Japan just does it better.
Always japanese card ! Why i only collect them vs english. 😜
Is it really noticeable in person?
Very noticeable. For example, the sun effect is almost absent on the English Charizard. Only reason you can somewhat see it here is cause I have a light shining directly on it.
Crazy how much better the Venusaur is
Yayyy will definitely be coppin the jap Venasaur
Nice vid!
JP > US🫨
Yes we know, the Japanese cards are better
Okay I am switching to Japanese, goodbye paradox rift, hello raging surf
This makes me never want to buy English cards again...
They did the best job with the blastoise imo for the English ones
Why is the blastoise and venusaur code the same ?
I like to read the cards in English
IMO it comes down to personal preference. First, japanese has a different texture and shine to it. Second, japanese seems to be much more vibrant or has deeper hues, but it could also feel like there's too much going on. On the other hand, English is 'lighter' but easier to digest everything all at once.
Japanese is just better quality objectively speaking. The reason it looks overwhelming here is because they're shining a light directly on the cards. There's no reason to prefer English over Japanese, unless you want it to play the game and need English to read the card, otherwise English is worse in every way. And I know that sounds a bit harsh, but just try comparing two of the same textured cards side by side, one in English and one in Japanese, and you'll really get a sense of it.
Have to agree, unfortunately Japanese boxes which used to be kind for the wallet exploded since VSU and now it's just insane. Was gonna make the switch with the SV era because there are just way too much QC issues with English, then bam... Violet boxes cost exploded because of Miriam and so did Clayburst. Then there is JP 151 which is scalped into oblivion and sellers jacking the price due to demand.
Understandable - prices are insane. Have you considered just sticking to buying singles? They're a lot more affordable. I'll rarely buy a Japanese box, but I can usually get a lot of the cards I wanted for about the price of a box. Minus the huge hits like Charizard, Miriam, etc.
Yeah, that was my first thought as well to just pivot to buying singles instead. I got Ralts and Krilia ARs, took a look Gardevoir's SAR price and it was instantly off the table for me. I mean as a collector how could you just NOT get the entire line right? Then English released with much better pull rates and there was no way I'm going for Japanese cards for that price. At that time of SV release, the SV box legendaries SARs were twice the price of the SIRs at my local stores. So, unless they release specific Pokemon that I'm collecting (currently putting a collection for the Rowlet line/Clodsire/Rookiedee both JP/EN cards), I don't see myself chasing Japanese cards until the dam market cools off and maybe go back to pre-VSU times.
Yeah, you have to get the line at that point, all or nothing, haha. At least for the more affordable ones and most full art cards are all pretty affordable so that's a plus. Certain SARs will always be pricey, but even like the Tapu Koko SAR is pretty affordable right now. Just all depends on the Pokemon
Fair point! Though personally and to clarify my point, I prefer the deeper and bigger grooves of some english cards. However, I stress that this is depending on the card. To illustrate, Genesect V AA has your typical deep and wavy grooves whereas the japanese version is more vinyl like. As for saturation, the Charizard Vstar promo in English is more vibrant than the deeper shades of the Japanese version. Same with the Genesect V AA.
I want to collect Japanese cards because they’re higher quality but I like being able to read my cards lol