These were very cool. Back when Pokemon was a genuine take on nature and not a super cleaned up children's thing which ignores logic.
Actually Pikachu has had that different-colored belly in a handful of pre-release art, as well as its Red/Blue/Green sprites. Seems like they made the change sometime in 97?Yea but he has a white stomach like Marrill. Pikachu never had that, usually he's all yellow
It happened in the period between Gen 2 and 3, his style was slowly approaching the modern look during Crystal.Ken Sugimori was the original designer, right? When did the artstyle move from the watercolor-y look to the more modern look? Are there any gen 2 cards that look like this?
It happened in the period between Gen 2 and 3, his style was slowly approaching the modern look during Crystal.
Early Pokémon art is the coolest stuff. You get a much more interesting and insightful look into how these creatures behave and fit into their ecosystems. I still love Pokémon but I don't think you really get that anymore. Not as much, anyway.
Also I have no idea why, but for some reason I find this one the creepiest. Partially because I think I always viewed Koffing as this sorta' fleshy thing, but this points it out to be more like a balloon:
Wing Attack was supposed to throw feathers? Wowa. (I haven't played anything after B/W so excuse me if they do that in current 3D animations)
Ken Sugimori was the original designer, right? When did the artstyle move from the watercolor-y look to the more modern look? Are there any gen 2 cards that look like this?
"It becomes an old thing, but the state of the card was in the file, so I think it is a good one, but please refrain from the person who is looking for a beauty productThere are scratches and dirt on the binder"
Bumping an old thread because it's quite comprehensive.
These cards are pretty hard to buy. 😥
Most of the sellers are expectedly Japanese and the language barrier is hard for both of us. The cards also do not have great documentation so I'm doing my best to piece together information from the available listings.
It seems that Carddass sets were meant to be collected and assembled in what's referred to as a "file system." So the accompanying binders are usually referred to as complete files or file systems and not usually "sets" like we commonly use in English. Some of these file systems are black:
But others still are blue:
It's not clear to me yet which one is related to the 1997 set that is the subject of this thread. There is an even older set from 1996 that uses more traditional Pokémon art and the binder could match to that one instead. I'm still trying to figure that out because from a collector point of view obviously the intention is to have the correct binder.
Another wrinkle is that sets advertised as complete are not complete. There are 153 cards in the set: one for each of the original 151 Pokémon and two bonus ensemble cards that depict Red and Blue with the started Pokémon. But the listings provide very, very little information and usually do not have an adequate description. So you have to review the pictures and see if their understanding of "complete" means the 151 Pokémon or the total 153 cards.
Condition is also an issue because condition is not usually described. Sometimes it they'll just say "very good." In one instance, the seller actively discouraged purchasing their listing if you were hoping for a beautiful item:
I've been poking around and trying to keep an eye on this set for a few years now in hopes of picking up the full file system in the correct condition but it sure is hard.
Price is also all over the place. I'd hazard a guess that the cards do not have a market in Japan (where they are less of a novelty) and international sellers are attempting to cash in on their recent Western popularity to see how much they can get for them. That makes total sense but prices range from $200 to $500. That's a huge difference for trading cards. This has been the case for the last few years and I'm surprised they haven't stabilized yet.
God 90's Pokemon art from all sides were so fucking cool. From Sugimori's timeless style to the crazy stuff you'd see in Japan like the above. Why did Pokemon art get so bland and lifeless in comparison? At least some of the Japanese movie posters are on fucking point at times.
I love the old Sugimori art. That will always be Pokémon to me. I'm still an avid fan of the series but the first two generations capture and depict an aesthetic I find far more captivating and full of wonder than the more mainstream anime style we have today.
That's why I like the Carddass set. They're a relic from an abandoned world. A world of teeth and claws and angry eyes.
Would love to see the games emulate this watercolour style. It's just so good.
Loving the art on these cards, but the low-fi backgrounds are weird.
Love this art. For you youngsters, the boxes and original instruction booklets that came with Red/Blue back in the day had some illustrations in it with this style too.
I definitely love this style. It's kind of a bummer that everything got redesigned to match the anime.
I'd settle for a TCG set with all the art in this style, to be honest. I've been holding out for that for a long time. With all the classic reprints they've done, I wonder if it's occurred to them to just emulate the aesthetic of a classic set - just with new Pokémon too.
Imagine a full set with Pokémon spanning from every generation and all the art looks just like this.
I remember wondering about the art showing Red and Blue with a girl trainer using Squirtle for the longest time.Love this art. For you youngsters, the boxes and original instruction booklets that came with Red/Blue back in the day had some illustrations in it with this style too.
I definitely love this style. It's kind of a bummer that everything got redesigned to match the anime.
They deliberately left gaps in that Pokédex at the back to leave a sense of mystery. So good. That manual... I can remember the smell of it you know. So good.Love this art. For you youngsters, the boxes and original instruction booklets that came with Red/Blue back in the day had some illustrations in it with this style too.
I definitely love this style. It's kind of a bummer that everything got redesigned to match the anime.
I remember wondering about the art showing Red and Blue with a girl trainer using Squirtle for the longest time.
Love this art. For you youngsters, the boxes and original instruction booklets that came with Red/Blue back in the day had some illustrations in it with this style too.
I definitely love this style. It's kind of a bummer that everything got redesigned to match the anime.
Love this art. For you youngsters, the boxes and original instruction booklets that came with Red/Blue back in the day had some illustrations in it with this style too.
I definitely love this style. It's kind of a bummer that everything got redesigned to match the anime.
That'd so fucking incredible. I've been waiting for an amiibo Pokemon TCG series to succeed the e-cards. Those were so fun.
Also, one artist long gone from the franchise does not get NEARLY the recognition he deserves; Keiji Kinebuchi:
Base Set vs Aquapolis, his final set. I miss him so much, why did he leave? :(
I have a soft spot for his work, too, but other CGI artists for the TCG were showing greater technical proficiency in like 1998, and 2002 was real late to still be putting out art that looked like this:That'd so fucking incredible. I've been waiting for an amiibo Pokemon TCG series to succeed the e-cards. Those were so fun.
Also, one artist long gone from the franchise does not get NEARLY the recognition he deserves; Keiji Kinebuchi:
Base Set vs Aquapolis, his final set. I miss him so much, why did he leave? :(