Look away! LOOK, by Limin is not worthwhile. In LOOK, the performer gives the spectator a bunch of arts and crafts googly eyes and a blank faced card. The spectator sticks two google eyes on the blank card, draws a face around the eyes and names the character. The performer tells the spectator that they just created the magician’s assistant for the next trick. The spectator then freely picks a card, signs it (although that step is unnecessary) and after a Hindu shuffle, the performer indicates that the magical assistant will help the magician find the card with the googly eyes. The magician then passes the cards from the top of the deck, one at a time, over the googly eyes card, which is resting on a table. Eventually, the eyes move and follow one of the cards. The card is placed on top of the deck, face down, flipped over and it is revealed to be the spectator’s card. The performer then hands the selected card to the spectator and when they pass over the googly eyes, it no longer moves as the assistant only listens to the magician. This trick is very easy to perform.
This trick comes with a half page folded paper pamphlet with English instructions and a link to a 12 minute Taiwanese how-to video, with English sub titles. The trick also comes with 20 googly eyes, 10 blank cards that you can write on (and erase) with a dry erase marker and a bicycle backed gimmicked playing card. The written instruction are clear and easy to follow. The instructions warn that some of the googly eyes may be defective and may not move. In my packet, one 1 out of 20 was defective as the eye did not move at all, therefore making it totally useless. The promotional video accurately depicted the performance, which is underwhelming. However, if you like the way that performance looks, then you may like this trick. I found that when the eyes moved to follow the chosen card, it was sometimes not so noticeable and needed to be repeated for the spectator. Additionally, if you pass over the googly eyes too closely, or too far, you will have a problem with the trick. I cannot elaborate on this issue without revealing the trick, but the method was obvious to me when I watched the promotional video.
The trick takes too long to make and draw the arts and crafts “assistant” card. Additionally, passing the cards over the drawn assistant, individually, can take some time and cause the audience to lose focus. If the spectator looks away for an instant, they will not see that the eyes have moved, ever so slightly. If the googly eyes were bigger, the effect may be better and more noticeable. Although I do not think this trick is suited for adults, it may be a fun activity to do with a child.
Unfortunately, I would just look for a different close-up effect to entertain.