Tokyo Magic Carnival Volume 3 of the “Secret” series features five tricks and techniques by Shimpei Katsuragawa. The card handling skills demonstrated and taught in the Tokyo Magic Carnival are hypnotic and with enough practice you will be performing impossible tabled card magic.
The $34.95 price tag gets you a single DVD that runs an hour and twenty five minutes. There are five very impressive tricks which are demonstrated from the spectator’s point of view and then from an aerial view. The production and camera work is excellent, but I am not sure what the aerial point of view adds. The DVD was recorded in Katsuragawa’s native Japanese, but an English translation is available (and necessary). The translation is excellent. There is also some background classical piano music dubbed into the tracks, which is fine, but you can hear one of Katsuragawa’s spectator’s in the background and it is unbelievably annoying. I am not kidding here, you hear a woman squealing throughout.
The tricks presented require a large card-table surface and some real credible skills. This is not a DVD for beginners. The pinky count is taught in detail, which is needed to perform the tricks. For all you pinky count fanatics out there, this segment is right up your alley. And, for those that detest the pink count and feel like your whole body is going to spasm if you need to pinky count more than 2 cards, this is for you too! The teaching is very detailed and the close up camera work is not only necessary, but very good.
Overall, the tricks are excellent, but they seem to have a very similar flavor to them and for that reason, I would consider one of the five, maybe two, during any one sitting.
The final track of the DVD is a chat between Dr. Sawa and Katsurgawa which is not noteworthy. They each do a trick for one another and discuss the concepts behind their presentations.
I enjoyed this DVD and watching Katsurgawa do is thing.
This DVD can be purchased from any Murphy’s Magic dealer.
