For the English speakers, Why do you guys have any interest at all in anything other than English cards?
1 Like
I collect Chinese Poke Park Cards, it’s a very niche but rare Chinese set that was for specific to the Taipei Poke Park which was only opened for a few months before it went defunct. I suppose, it’s really the history behind it and also the mysterious aspect that has me collecting this set. It’s like opening a new leaf into an undiscovered history. Also Korean and Chinese 1st edition base cards, are relatively affordable compared to that of the english counter part, like $2-300 for a PSA 9, so I guess sometimes price plays a factor.
Several reasons-
-
Bilinguals/polyglots (like me) like cards in all languages we speak
-
Seeing scripts in other languages I don’t speak is really cool (Thai, Chinese, Korean, Russian especially for me)
-
Species collectors want all variants of all cards
Just to name a few reasons of mine.
9 Likes
Japanese cards have some exclusive artwork, and generally speaking just look better than English much of the time
6 Likes
if i can get the same favourite card more than once why not? it adds another layer of collecting. i collect English/Japanese/Thai and have some Chinese and indonesian. will probably also get some Korean eventually cause i want more Rayquaza V Special Arts in different languages.
i personally collect Thai a lot due to being same quality as Japanese and is cheaper for harder or expensive chases but will still eventually still buy the Japanese version later down the line if can.
1 Like
Im 99% English, but I like cool cards that are exclusive art and or have a unique stamp or release. Many JP cards can be cheaper than English counterparts at times which is nice. I think its natural to be interested in the JP side of things since most everything in pokemon originates there.
2 Likes
Many Japanese cards have exclusive art/releases, the texture on modern cards is often better, and the cardstock is usually of higher quality. Some people also like Japanese cards because they were the “originals” for most set releases.
Most Pokemon collectors are also not reading the text on their cards anyway - it’s all about the art and aesthetic, which is comparable or better on the Japanese prints.
3 Likes
I obviously prefer my mother language and english, but I often feel the fascination of a different “version” of a card that I already have and love.
Korean, German, Portuguese and Thai feels so exotic to me.
Sometimes I find them for really cheap, so I they are a way to complete a binder at discount.
Then another reason, is that some sets are really common in a particular language, like Spanish Ex Ruby-Sapphire. For me this is not a bad strategy to get cheap PSA9 (if you’re willing to compromise and you give priority to the art).
6 Likes
Just a personal opinion, but I feel that you either like it or hate it. Maybe it would grow on you after some time, but its hard to suddenly “like/want” to start collecting other language cards. Most of us probably have a long list of other cards we want and would probably collect the cards in languages we like and already know.
The only thing I can think of is if someone has all the cards they want and get bored and want to collect their favorites in another language (I’ve seen some species collectors do that).
Personally I just collect Eng, Japanese, and a few Korean cards. For me its just because I started with the original Japanese cards when I was little, I obviously speak English, and then went to college in Korea. But I sometimes get tempted by the cheap prices of other languages. I almost thought about getting some cheap Thai cards but figured I rather just save a little more and get the card in a language I prefer.
2 Likes
Short answer: Japanese cards look better, and have higher quality production 99/100 times.
Pretentious answer: The card is designed around the Japanese language working with the layout and how a card is constructed, and is adapted to other languages.
The original language is the true intention of the card and the card in it’s purist form.
11 Likes
Yes, I totally understand and agree! Probably living in Europe played a role, since when I was a kid it regularly happened to randomly find a French/German cards among others, and no children care lol.
A foreign card now and then is like a nice sprinkle on my binder. Sure, for my favorites I try to save and get the real deal : english/italian (nice plan B)/japanese.
2 Likes
In addition to the cardstock and printing being nicer on the Japanese cards, the colors are more accurate to the original artwork. If you look closely you’ll realize that English card artwork is slightly yellow tinted.
1 Like
I will pick up the odd Japanese card when I have the chance. It’s a fun way to practice my extremely casual attempt to learn the language. And after visiting Japan a few years ago, I just love the place and like things associated with it.
1 Like
- Pokémon cards are Japanese. Cards in the Japanese language are generally speaking the originals, everything else is a localized copy. As collectibles, I much prefer the originals.
- With modern textured cards, especially prior to Scarlet/Violet, there is much more detail in the texture/holo pattern in cards printed in Japan. There’s an entire dimension to the artwork that gets lost in the localization.
- With vintage cards, Japanese cards in good condition often have a much lower market value. Some people see this as a downside but I’ll happily take more cards for less money.
- I usually prefer the silver border. The yellow border can distract from the artwork, especially with modern art rares.
- In 99% of cases the only thing I want to read on a card is the artist’s name, which is romanized on Japanese cards anyway. And the Japanese writing system looks pretty.
2 Likes
Like many others I like the Japanese unique releases and find the modern cards texture is better. Whe I first started collecting I also collected species in every language they were released.
Look no further than the Japanese vs English Classic Collection!
And in addition to exclusive art, as others have mentioned, other languages have exclusive holos. A lot of great looking cards have holos in Japanese but not English.
There's probably other great ones I'm missing.
Also Korean-exclusive holos I just learned about for DP era Espeon and Umbreon (see here).
9 Likes
Many factors go into it, but the biggest one for me is history. Pokemon is a Japanese IP and as such so much of its rich history comes from Japan itself on all fronts. As someone who is trying to make his collection represent Pokemon History as a whole foreign language products cannot be overlooked
1 Like
For me it comes with a personal connection. My childhood comic shop had Japanese imports so I got to open Japanese packs side by side with English. Hence why I collect in both English and Japanese. I remember my first time opening a Japanese pack and I was amazed at how nice they were in terms of quality and, having not been exposed to kanji or the language, how exotic they felt at the time.
I think even if I only had grown up with English, I think I’d still prefer to collect in Japanese all in all - the quality is just typically much better in Japanese overall. I can only think of a few exceptions where English did it better such as some Delta cards.
4 Likes