IT’S TACO TUESDAY! and we’re going to review a Tenyo that is WAAAAAAAY down in everyone’s ‘favorites’ list. In fact, it’s pretty much one of the ‘top 5 least favorite Tenyo’. I’m not sure if ‘the worst of’ would be a list that goes up. I thought it would be a ‘Bottom 5 Tenyo’. But that just sounds funny. Oh man! I’m just trying to get a point across! AND, get this, sportsfans! All the links should work this week! But again, I have 5 minutes to work it in case something goes wrong! It’s like Theory11 has made editing on the site like the worst game show ever! Even worse is that I’m trying to compensate (no picture for THAT ONE) for last weeks bombastic mess. Let’s give it a look and see…
CLOUD MONEY
Inventor: Toru Sukuzi
Year: 2010
Cost: $15-$25
Type of Effect: Levitation
Skill Level: Intermediate
CONTENTS: Well. I can’t really say what comes in Cloud Money, all I can show is a bill floating around with my goofy mug in the shot. Let’s just call the contents in ‘Cloud Money’ ‘GREMLINS’ .
EFFECT #1: You, the magician, take a dollar bill and have it float away from your hands. It then moves left and right, and even through a loop made with your fingers and catch the bill—all of this done within inches of the spectators!
REVIEW: First of all, the effect description uses a ‘dollar bill’. The pictures in the instructions uses a ten dollar bill. I said ‘screw it!’ and used a two dollar bill for the last week. Because why not? Seems to work with any US bill. Although I want to try it with one of those new Fancy Monopoly-looking $100 US Bills.
I haven’t had chance yet because I’m poor. But the instructions only go into it with US bills and Japanese Yen. Not sure about you Canadians and your currency (sorry. I thought you guys paid for things with teeth found in hockey rinks).
So let’s start with this: Why does this Tenyo get such a bad rep? Is it inconsistent? Is the effect too weak? Does it flat out not fool anyone? It is not friendly to work with (Since Tenyo Magic’s main consumers are laymen who want to perform for other laymen)?
Let’s start with this: Is it inconsistent? The answer is ‘no’. It DOES require a bit of practice (WHAT?! Magic that you MUST practice with?! Sacrilege). It will work once you figure out the knack to it.
Is the effect ‘weak’?: Not really, levitation effects seem to get very strong reactions. And this one is neat in the sense that the bill looks like it’s floating and a bit shaky in the air; it doesn’t have a ‘stiff’ look to it. It’s not ‘weak’ in the sense of effect and reaction, it’s just that if your audience looks at it long enough They’ll see a sailboat.. So whatever presentation you have, it NEEDS to be polished and quick.
Here’s some dandy information. Let’s first go over the Tenyo released in 2011:
- We are reviewing ‘Cloud Money’
- ‘4D Surprise’ - by Lubor Fiedler’s take on the disappearing Statue of Liberty
- ‘Ghost Lamp’ – A card prediction using a lightbulb
- ‘Trap Box’ - A utility ‘rattle box’
Guess what the big seller of 2011 was?
‘Cloud Money’
‘Wait a minute Hurley!’ You say. ‘If it’s considered the one of the worst Tenyo, why was it the best trick of 2011?’
Here’s why: It sold like hotcakes in Japan. The consumer-base there is mostly laymen performing tricks for other laymen. I believe that if you were to go out and perform for others, ‘Cloud Money’ wins by a landslide because it’s really the only one released in that year that you can perform without a table. ‘Trap Box’ COULD be performed without a table. But its ‘utility’ nature is a bit harder to work with and the effects aren’t AS strong as ‘Cloud Money’ at first glance, despite neat handlings in the instructions of ‘Trap Box’. Anyway, that’s another review altogether! ‘Cloud Money’ is really the only one that you can pop out of the box and not need a table with. You go outside of Japan; you’re dealing with mostly collectors. To the COLLECTORS, it’s considered one the ‘worst Tenyo’. In fact, the collector base ate up 4D Surprise like it was Google-stock. The West goes for the ingenuity of the gimmick and the effect as a whole. As far as performance goes, Tenyo doesn’t get performed nearly as often outside of Japan, than it does IN Japan. You’d be hard pressed to see any Tenyo performed professionally—or at all outside of friends and family.
So, let’s go back to ‘Cloud Money’. The GREMLINS! I can’t say or take pictures of what it is. There’s nothing in that box I can take pictures of. The contents, nor the instructions, nothing! But if you’ve made it this far in the review, you’re probably thinking it has to be something along the lines of a ‘Columbian neck-tie’ or some sort of ‘detached body parts’.
Gruesome as it sounds, ha ha; THAT’S WHAT WE WORK WITH IN MAGIC!
And to both of those assumptions, YOU’RE WRONG.
Keep in mind, that in Tenyo, the gimmicks and secrets are as crazy as Tenyo is innovative. And ‘Cloud Money’ is no different. The gimmick here is definitely different and works well for laymen to use. I mean, if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t have been the best-selling Tenyo in 2011, right?
The gimmick is simpler than you think, but not something you’d think of.
So. That leaves the question: Why else does the West HATE this thing?
Let’s go further into it:
- You need a crisp bill, meaning you can’t borrow a bill unless you’re performing this at a bank.
- You have to do a ‘quick’ presentation.
- You MIGHT be able to start clean. Ending clean is really out of the question.
So here’s what I’ve come up with: After speaking with a few chaps on these forums, I believe the West is not too fond of ‘Cloud Money’ is because the Tenyo community that has tried and disliked ‘Cloud Money’ is a bit reliant on the instructions.
Here’s the thing. The instructions have 3 different presentations in which you can use ’Cloud Money’. The introduction of ‘Cloud Money’ does tout that it can achieve several feats, but I believe that a lot of people try to lump all 3 presentations in one big pooh-bah. And like I said earlier, the longer the audience watches, the more they are going to ‘look’. And ‘Cloud Money’ isn’t something you want your audience to analyze. Well, no magician wants the audience to analyze their magic. We want to entertain, not make it a puzzle. In this instance, less REALLY is more. If you were to perform ONE of the presentations, you would still get to perform a neat levitation and put it away before the audience starts to look for that ‘sailboat’. You still get the reaction you’re looking for AND the audience longing for more. THAT’S what you want. This is one of those instances where doing LESS work will get the better results.
So if magicians and collectors could just do less, why hasn’t anyone been successful with it?
Good question, and I have a theory.
I believe that the problem lies heavily in the limitations of the gimmick. And that the three presentations in the instructions are really the best you can do with it.
I mean, they engineered it, right?
I’m into a week now of messing with the darn thing, and I haven’t come up with an alternate routine. That’s not to say I won’t come up with something. I mean, I write a review a week. I take one Tenyo in my collection and I mess around with it for a week. One week is a bit too short to come up with a cohesive alternate routine. Especially for something that has the notoriety that it does.
I’m convinced that there is something out there that hasn’t been factored in or utilized. I’m out to find something. I’m not convinced that ‘Cloud Money’ is one of Tenyo Magic’s ‘worst’. Far from it. I think that it’s difficult to work with in terms of innovating a new or original routine. Because of this, I feel people fall back on the instructions and try to do too much with it in a performance. If anything, it’s user bias.
WHO WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS TO?:
Oh man, here we go. This trick is EXTREMELY presentation heavy. Not only must you sell the effect, you also must keep in mind ‘moderation’ in terms of when to stop an effect and move on. Something I don’t think many beginners will get. You experienced magicians who are familiar with levitation effects will be surprised by the GREMLINS!. And keep this one indoors. AND there’s a bit of an angle issue. So really, its best in a close-up show, Instagram or Youtube clip where you, the magician, have the most control and have audience management.
CLOUD MONEY
Inventor: Toru Sukuzi
Year: 2010
Cost: $15-$25
Type of Effect: Levitation
Skill Level: Intermediate
CONTENTS: Well. I can’t really say what comes in Cloud Money, all I can show is a bill floating around with my goofy mug in the shot. Let’s just call the contents in ‘Cloud Money’ ‘GREMLINS’ .
EFFECT #1: You, the magician, take a dollar bill and have it float away from your hands. It then moves left and right, and even through a loop made with your fingers and catch the bill—all of this done within inches of the spectators!
REVIEW: First of all, the effect description uses a ‘dollar bill’. The pictures in the instructions uses a ten dollar bill. I said ‘screw it!’ and used a two dollar bill for the last week. Because why not? Seems to work with any US bill. Although I want to try it with one of those new Fancy Monopoly-looking $100 US Bills.
I haven’t had chance yet because I’m poor. But the instructions only go into it with US bills and Japanese Yen. Not sure about you Canadians and your currency (sorry. I thought you guys paid for things with teeth found in hockey rinks).
So let’s start with this: Why does this Tenyo get such a bad rep? Is it inconsistent? Is the effect too weak? Does it flat out not fool anyone? It is not friendly to work with (Since Tenyo Magic’s main consumers are laymen who want to perform for other laymen)?
Let’s start with this: Is it inconsistent? The answer is ‘no’. It DOES require a bit of practice (WHAT?! Magic that you MUST practice with?! Sacrilege). It will work once you figure out the knack to it.
Is the effect ‘weak’?: Not really, levitation effects seem to get very strong reactions. And this one is neat in the sense that the bill looks like it’s floating and a bit shaky in the air; it doesn’t have a ‘stiff’ look to it. It’s not ‘weak’ in the sense of effect and reaction, it’s just that if your audience looks at it long enough They’ll see a sailboat.. So whatever presentation you have, it NEEDS to be polished and quick.
Here’s some dandy information. Let’s first go over the Tenyo released in 2011:
- We are reviewing ‘Cloud Money’
- ‘4D Surprise’ - by Lubor Fiedler’s take on the disappearing Statue of Liberty
- ‘Ghost Lamp’ – A card prediction using a lightbulb
- ‘Trap Box’ - A utility ‘rattle box’
Guess what the big seller of 2011 was?
‘Cloud Money’
‘Wait a minute Hurley!’ You say. ‘If it’s considered the one of the worst Tenyo, why was it the best trick of 2011?’
Here’s why: It sold like hotcakes in Japan. The consumer-base there is mostly laymen performing tricks for other laymen. I believe that if you were to go out and perform for others, ‘Cloud Money’ wins by a landslide because it’s really the only one released in that year that you can perform without a table. ‘Trap Box’ COULD be performed without a table. But its ‘utility’ nature is a bit harder to work with and the effects aren’t AS strong as ‘Cloud Money’ at first glance, despite neat handlings in the instructions of ‘Trap Box’. Anyway, that’s another review altogether! ‘Cloud Money’ is really the only one that you can pop out of the box and not need a table with. You go outside of Japan; you’re dealing with mostly collectors. To the COLLECTORS, it’s considered one the ‘worst Tenyo’. In fact, the collector base ate up 4D Surprise like it was Google-stock. The West goes for the ingenuity of the gimmick and the effect as a whole. As far as performance goes, Tenyo doesn’t get performed nearly as often outside of Japan, than it does IN Japan. You’d be hard pressed to see any Tenyo performed professionally—or at all outside of friends and family.
So, let’s go back to ‘Cloud Money’. The GREMLINS! I can’t say or take pictures of what it is. There’s nothing in that box I can take pictures of. The contents, nor the instructions, nothing! But if you’ve made it this far in the review, you’re probably thinking it has to be something along the lines of a ‘Columbian neck-tie’ or some sort of ‘detached body parts’.
Gruesome as it sounds, ha ha; THAT’S WHAT WE WORK WITH IN MAGIC!
And to both of those assumptions, YOU’RE WRONG.
Keep in mind, that in Tenyo, the gimmicks and secrets are as crazy as Tenyo is innovative. And ‘Cloud Money’ is no different. The gimmick here is definitely different and works well for laymen to use. I mean, if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t have been the best-selling Tenyo in 2011, right?
The gimmick is simpler than you think, but not something you’d think of.
So. That leaves the question: Why else does the West HATE this thing?
Let’s go further into it:
- You need a crisp bill, meaning you can’t borrow a bill unless you’re performing this at a bank.
- You have to do a ‘quick’ presentation.
- You MIGHT be able to start clean. Ending clean is really out of the question.
So here’s what I’ve come up with: After speaking with a few chaps on these forums, I believe the West is not too fond of ‘Cloud Money’ is because the Tenyo community that has tried and disliked ‘Cloud Money’ is a bit reliant on the instructions.
Here’s the thing. The instructions have 3 different presentations in which you can use ’Cloud Money’. The introduction of ‘Cloud Money’ does tout that it can achieve several feats, but I believe that a lot of people try to lump all 3 presentations in one big pooh-bah. And like I said earlier, the longer the audience watches, the more they are going to ‘look’. And ‘Cloud Money’ isn’t something you want your audience to analyze. Well, no magician wants the audience to analyze their magic. We want to entertain, not make it a puzzle. In this instance, less REALLY is more. If you were to perform ONE of the presentations, you would still get to perform a neat levitation and put it away before the audience starts to look for that ‘sailboat’. You still get the reaction you’re looking for AND the audience longing for more. THAT’S what you want. This is one of those instances where doing LESS work will get the better results.
So if magicians and collectors could just do less, why hasn’t anyone been successful with it?
Good question, and I have a theory.
I believe that the problem lies heavily in the limitations of the gimmick. And that the three presentations in the instructions are really the best you can do with it.
I mean, they engineered it, right?
I’m into a week now of messing with the darn thing, and I haven’t come up with an alternate routine. That’s not to say I won’t come up with something. I mean, I write a review a week. I take one Tenyo in my collection and I mess around with it for a week. One week is a bit too short to come up with a cohesive alternate routine. Especially for something that has the notoriety that it does.
I’m convinced that there is something out there that hasn’t been factored in or utilized. I’m out to find something. I’m not convinced that ‘Cloud Money’ is one of Tenyo Magic’s ‘worst’. Far from it. I think that it’s difficult to work with in terms of innovating a new or original routine. Because of this, I feel people fall back on the instructions and try to do too much with it in a performance. If anything, it’s user bias.
WHO WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS TO?:
Oh man, here we go. This trick is EXTREMELY presentation heavy. Not only must you sell the effect, you also must keep in mind ‘moderation’ in terms of when to stop an effect and move on. Something I don’t think many beginners will get. You experienced magicians who are familiar with levitation effects will be surprised by the GREMLINS!. And keep this one indoors. AND there’s a bit of an angle issue. So really, its best in a close-up show, Instagram or Youtube clip where you, the magician, have the most control and have audience management.