Did the light test on a couple of the 2020 Pikachu promos I recently received and I can see the back from the front. Same thing with the Red’s Pikachu that I have. I thought they felt somewhat flimsy when I got them but didn’t think much about it. Saw someone on reddit do the light test on a Pikachu VMAX and could see the back. How far back does this go? Red’s Pikachu is from 2018, but I don’t really have any Japanese holos between e-series and 2018 to check.
Japanese cards have always been printed on thinner cardboard than most other languages. The light test is also a good way to distinguish between a Shadowless Yellow Cheeks Pikachu from the English Base Set and one from the Japanese Best Song CD set (which apart from some color differences and this difference in cardstock are identical).
I also own one or two fake Japanese cards (and loads of English fake cards), and they let through A LOT more light than any legit Japanese cards in my experience.
But to answer your question in general: always. Although some might be slightly more see-through than others I guess, depending on the set and what kind of holofoil layers are used.
Greetz,
Quuador
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