Energy Tarot by Cheryl Shen..or lovely manga styles

[Cerulean]

I'd enjoy discussing this deck with fans out there...

http://www.alchemywebsite.com/tarot/tarot_directory_taiwanese.html

It forces me to just do picture-only readings...

I read someone did cut the borders off their deck...it's such a lovely deck, I understand the impulse...but do people like the borders as a frame for the lovely artwork? It's so rich and vibrant, I thought the contrast might be needed...

I would enjoy talking, maybe thinking of favorite cards...experiences...ideas...perhaps if you also have another manga-style tarot that is resonating with you? What do the pictures feel or help or how do you react to this style of illustration?

Regards,

Cerulean

 

[shadowdancer]

Howdy

Yes it was me who cut some of the border away - the cards were just a little bulky for my wee hands. No regrets at all.

I saw this on e-bay a long time ago and went for it. Nice deck. I went through a period of liking the Taiwanese style decks and have a few now. (Rose Knight being one of them, as well as LS Manga tarot and Selina Lin's Manga).

Alas the latter do not get used that often. I think the fact the minors are not illustrated is a shame - although as unillustrated pips go these are amongst the most pleasing to the eye. This is why I do like the Energy tarot out of the bunch - it feels like a full deck if that makes sense. Nicely coloured too.

My favourite Manga style deck though is the Majors only Slumberland.

I have used these and found them very warm to use. Best example was with somebody who was in tears at work, and incredibly stressed. I got this deck out for the reading, and within seconds she was smiling as she fanned through them. They worked to just take away the pressure and negative self images she had, for the duration of the reading. The message she picked up too (I involved her in the reading and interpretations) made her feel so much more positive about herself and what she had been doing to cause the distress. For some reason they bring out smiles in people when they most need it. I appreciate they might not be everyone's taste though - at first glance they would appear to be aimed at children.

Davina

 

[Therasia]

Agree ^_^

I love this deck but I still don't have it, I am still negociating because I am from Portugal and here it's really hard to find tarot decks, I think that this decks is lovely, as the rose knight, and Lunatic, I only have this last one.
Kisse

 

[karen0205]

I cropped this deck and rounded the corners. I thought the borders were too distracting and the cards were a tad too large for my taste. You would be surprised how much better cards look without those busy borders. Sometimes it actually takes away from the artwork because your eyes don't know where to look first. I like the deck without the borders. I can scan it if you want to see it without the borders.

It's a lovely deck. very colorful and beautiful artwork. I like that it's all ilustrated. I find the decks with the plain pips are kind of boring. I just have found that this is one deck I keep coming back to. I liked it so much I got another copy just to put away. I haven't cropped that one. It's still in the box.

karen

 

[shadowdancer]

Definitely a worthwhile deck. As you say, it is refreshing to see so much attention given to the pips as well as the MA.

I have traded away my Rose Knight and Manga decks, but this will not be considered for trade. The borders I cut away were just the outer border. I still have titles etc there, but they are now a nice size for shuffling

Davina

 

[wytchwood]

I love the 'Elf of Heaven' tarot on that page! Crazy!

 

[missy]

I love this deck! I get great readings from it. I couldn't cut my borders off this deck, never. But then, I'm not a deck trimmer. I like the way the borders on this deck frame the artwork. To me, the borders give it a playful, manga-style feel.

I also like the lamination; it is sturdy enough that the deck will last awhile, without feeling overly laminated to me.

I can't explain why I have the reactions to the colors that I do. Yes, it is a Rider-Waite clone, but there is something magical about the artwork. This deck resonated with me.

One of my favorite cards is The Magician. Love her! I love her rainbow. I love the use of color in the card. I also like The Sun. It is such a bright, cheerful card.

The printing on the cards is a little dark; the colors seem a bit too dark at times. That was one of the first things I noticed about the deck. Maybe it's due to the saturation of color. But it didn't put me off the deck.

To me, the deck gives a very warm feel. It is a friendly deck. I bought it thinking it would be good (if I ever start reading for other people in person) for people who may feel "afraid" of the tarot. This deck's Death card is a little scary, but most of the deck is not.

The inhabitants of this deck live in a world I'd love to visit!

Another manga-art-style deck I like is the Moon Princess tarot. However, its downfall is that it has non-illustrated pips, but I still like the deck and am glad I own it. The artwork is by Ayumi Kasai, and I highly recommend it for a collector's deck. http://www.aestheticism.com/Visitors/gallery/AyumiKasai/index.htm

Overall, I get a great "energy" from the Energy Tarot. I like it very much!

 

[SunChariot]

Ohhhh! I love the City Light Tarot!!! I am trying now to talk myself out of buying it as I have told myself, as always, that the last deck I bought was my last. LOL

Babs

 

[Cerulean]

How do you guys feel about the full color pictures of the book

...it really illustrates the 'feel' of another world, doesn't it?

As an 'anime'/manga tarot, the pictures speak an interesting 'story'...

Be fun to hear if you guys do 'fan-fics' and some of the slightly mysterious pictures to you become another world...

I think it's a great spring-summer deck and while not of this world--I'd love to hear if a publisher such as Lo Scarabeo or U.S. Games picks up the glorious deck AND the book and translates it...

Even if it turns out to be generic meanings in text, it'd be nice to have the pictures written about a little.

Ah well, I'm very very happy with the full color pictures in the book--the illustrations are beautiful to me for this style of tarot. It's one of my favorites for the unique art, the darker shades and the brightness of the characters--AND the illustrated minors that really do seem to catch the meanings of RWS decks...

Thanks for reviving the discussion!

Cerulean

 

[missy]

A lot of people have never heard of this deck. Looking at it online, I wasn't sure. I asked myself why I was buying the deck: it looks like another Rider-Waite clone. So why buy it? I thought. There is nothing new here ...

But, it reads beautifully. There is something about this deck, I don't know what it is. Something about the colors of deep purples, oranges, bright blues; maybe it is the color itself that is helping my reading. It reads not as a Rider-Waite clone (though it is), but standing on its own merits.

Since the book was in Chinese, I never even looked at it, believe it or not. I did not know there were full-color photos. I plan to look at it later.

As for the idea of another publisher republishing this deck, I don't know if I feel the need to have this deck republished for the main goal of having the book in English. The cards have a nice lamination to it, one I'm not sure other publishers can or would match. I don't mind that the book is in Chinese; I have enough work ahead of me right now with regard to card meanings. I like the way many Chinese decks are packed in a decorative fold-out book-style case, although the case takes up a lot of room, and mine are relegated to a separate cabinet, sans cards.

The reason I am not interested in Lo Scarabeo picking up this deck is I just received my first deck from them yesterday, Circle of Life, and was disappointed at the combination of inexpensive card stock and lack of lamination. Mostly I had issues with the card stock (no need for lamination if the card stock is good). Some really pretty cards that won't stand up over time. (The artwork is gorgeous and I'm glad I bought it; just wish it were sturdier.)

I don't see it reviewed here, but for those who are interested, google "energy tarot cheryl shen" and you will pull up sites where you can buy it. This deck won't be for everyone, but it was for me. The deck has a fairytale/manga theme without going overboard. It is not a "too cute" deck. (But the borders do have curly-q's.) Most of the card characters look general enough that I think almost anyone would like them. Some may say it is too true to Rider-Waite, and they don't see a place for it in their collection. I'm glad I didn't let that stop me.

Cerulean, I don't do fan-fics for this deck; I just read it, in a pretty straightforward way.

The cards measure 3.7 inches by 5.2 inches. I have noticed my cards are slightly warped; whether they arrived that way (they are very tightly shrink-wrapped) or whether this happened when I was rifle shuffling I'm not sure. I am a pretty careful shuffler. Has anyone noticed a slight warp?

For those who haven't seen scans, here are a few pix. Click on the images to zoom in.

http://mangaart.com:8080/auc/energy.jpg
http://mangaart.com:8080/auc/energy4.jpg
http://mangaart.com:8080/tarotcards/energy2.shtml

Count me in as a fan of the deck!

Cerulean (and others), how is this deck reading for you?