Anyone know anything about this dvd?

I just purchased the DVD last week and received it today...Akira Fuji has some really cool stuff on this DVD. One might want to be familiar with the M. P. as the description on Steven's Magic site describes. I've been doing the M. P. for a few years but seeing how Akira uses it is just crazy and puts me to shame lol... The DVD is well worth looking into. His "Jet Coins" routine is AWESOME!!!

-Bill

Hey Bill. Will you be at the banquet Thursday night?

Could you post a more detailed review when you get a chance?

FC

Sounds great.

I'm not really a review kinda guy but I'll give it my best shot...

The performance segment is done with Fujii behind a bar performing all of the routines one after the other that are taught on the DVD. If I'm not mistaken, although all of the effects can be done as stand alone effects, it seemed to me that everything is structured so he starts with 4 coins and through each effect gets down to 1. I like how that is structured alot, almost as if it get simpler and simpler to follow.

Anyway, once the routines are presented the viewer is sent back to the main menu to choose which explanations he/she would like to watch. All of the routines are explained step by step and Fujii goes over each part of the routine multiple times in the explanation in great detail I might add to make sure it is understood.

To me the effects are simple in method but advanced at the same time. As advertised these are his routines utilizing the muscle pass so one may want to be familiar with that as well.

The DVD is dubbed by Nathan Kranzo who does a wonderful job in the translation of everything. To sum it up Akira Fujii's magic looks just like "real" magic... It's doesn't look as if anything fishy is going on or that he "did" something. The DVD is definitely worth anyone's time who is interested in coin magic and taking their coin magic to the next level.

Hope that works for you guys, let me know if anyone has any questions.

-Bill

P.S. FC I'm pretty sure you already got it but I sent you a PM...

This dvd makes one want to perfect the M. P.

Just received my copy today. Wow. This is some of the best coin routines I have seen in some time....but, man is this stuff hard.

As stated above the performance part comes first. Very nice. Only problem is that it is one of the worst live performance shoots I have ever seen. At a guess you can't see at least 1/4 of what happens maybe even a higher percentage. It was irritating to say the least. For all that the performance style Mr. Akira is very pleasant that Mr. Kranzo's voice over is superb. I mean really, really good.

The explanations are succinct and fairly good. This DVD is NOT for the beginner and assumes a lot of prior knowledge. This is hard to describe: The explanations are clear and complete, but not detailed in the way that I like every small point covered, but more than adequate for anyone at an upper level of coin work.

The routines themselves? KILLER! If you like Matrix routines, which I generally don't excepting John Kennedy's Impossible Matrix, you will love Mr. Akira's.

But, it's his coins from hand to hand that is the standout. Freakily hard, but in this instance I started to try and reaquire the technique so I could do the darn thing. VERY magical to the point that it looks as if he is using gaffed coins and he's not. Really quite extrodinary material. Recommended with the understanding that you will need a very good, very controlled Muscle Pass. You only need about a 6" pop, but you need to do it in ways that you will NOT be familiar with. Best,

Thanks to Bill and Brad for their reviews. A friend and I had a conversation last night about picking this one up. It sounds like a winner (we are both coin fiends).

FC

Thanks for the reviews, Bill and Brad.

I'm quite interested in this DVD as I'm a "coin guy". I believe I'm familiar with most of the sleights and techniques, and from your reviews it sounds like one dvd that I should pursue.

However, I'm kind of worried that it will become those good to practise but not suitable for real workers kind of routines. You know when more skills are involved, one has to be in top shape to perform everything smoothly.

I'm not saying that I don't use sleights during my routines, but I want to at least have some confidence that I have a high probability to perfrom them well. Does the routines in this DVD falls into that category?

I'd particularly like to to know about the practicalness of the routines, are they angle-sensitive? are they fairly easy to peform when I master the skills there? o, and do I need to wear special clothes... I want to perfrom with t-shirt, sleeves rolled up and stand-up?

Answering here or PM me would be fine.

Many thanks.

As far as I am concerned IF you can do the technique then the material is practical. Anyone familiar with my own material knows that I dote on practicality. I don't care if it is hard, I just want to know I can do it if I am in practice. I think that's what info2fvictor is asking. I have found that the Muscle Pass is one of those moves that you simply have to do every day to keep up. Akira's use of the Muscle Pass is occult in the extreme and you will have to learn to use it while holding other coins, etc. That said, if you can do the move I would consider the material some of the best I have ever seen and I intend to add a couple of the effects to my repatoire.

Here's a positive big IF: IF you are very good at the Muscle Pass and love elegant coin magic then you REALLY should check this baby out. This is stuff that will entertain other magicians while fooling the boogers out of them. So to speak. Best,

If you use a casino chip, it will fall up much farther than a coin, if you have trouble using coins.

So this is really clean stuff while being reall magical too?

You guys are killing my pockets.

Thanks Brad, and you got what I'm asking. I don't really mind practising but I'm concerned with "how long do I need" to practice. Of coz I wouldn't expect those would be routines that I receive and be ready the next day morning, but I don't want to learn routines that I have to practise for a year just to make it work, not to mention mastering it =).

I've also read from other posts with people saying that the MP used there is extremly difficult and is different from what we usually know of (MP while holding other coins??? that's is way advanced...). Some even say that "so far only Akira himself can do the routine". Frankly I'm really scared by this. A part of me is urging me to have this DVD just to broaden my horizon and perhaps get something new and variable from it, but another part of me reminds me of those DVDs and books that I bought, with routines that I know I'll never (or never be able to) perform.

Also, while it may be a magician fooler, how does it appear in front of layman? If I have to choose between pure skill and common gimmicks to produce the same effect, I'd rather go for a more sure fire gimmick version.

Thanks MagicChris for the Casino Chip suggestion, but I rather stick with my shiny Barbers~ ha ha.

I can't imagine that Mr. Akira is the only coin guy who can do his material. I will say that he is the first magician I've seen that has a decent use FOR the Muscle Pass and that's cool. But, make no mistake this stuff IS tough. I figure that if I stay with it and reaquire the callus on my right palm needed to do the MP again that it will be anywhere from 2-4 months to nail down the move to the point that I can do what is required for the routines I like. I may have to go find some softer coins also. The walking liberties that I am using are 'worn', but perhaps not to the point that I need them. Best,

I think Shoot Ogawa's use of the muscle pass is great and Paul Wilson's is good too.
PW's use of the muscle pass makes it so your muscle pass does not have to be that good and can be used for a training trick. It's called coin popper on "Twists of Fate."

I find the most annoying thing about this DVD is the fact the spectators heads are in the way on the first effect. Surely when structuring this or shooting, someone could have said 'We cant see, can you guys just move over a bit'. His work is ok, in my opinion it is not that amazing. I like his use of the muscle pass, and think that is clever, so will use the moves. I don't think I will use the routines. The matrix is a very clever and cool matrix, but I like doing matrix's with just the coins and my hands. It is more comfortable for me, and its what I am used to. All in all, it is an ok DVD. When I heard you needed really to be able to MP, I thought cool, I have a long distance on mine with Dollars and Halves etc, so I tried it, but I don't think any of it is really for me. The click pass is nice though

Do any of the effects use a single coin?
Cheers
TJ

The final routine does and it has a growing/shrinking coin ending with a 7 in finish.

M
Thanks
TJ