Japanese all day every day
The longer I spend in this hobby the less english I buy lmao.
7 Likes
Japanese seems to be hands down a better option for modern collectors. Superior print quality, and absolute quality promo cards (Screams, Mario/Luigi, Poncho Pika, etc. etc.).
However, as a collector driven by nostalgia whose collection largely consists of cards I either owned or wanted to own when I was younger, the end result is a mainly English collection.
Staring at a Japanese base set Charizard doesn’t quite give me the same vibes as staring at the card in English. That said, I still collect and cherish Japanese. Some of my favorite cards are Japanese. Some cards are also just better looking in Japanese (Neo 4 shinings, looking at you).
I regret not doing it sooner.
I defected to the Japanese side over 21 years ago but occasionally come back to spy on the English side. 
3 Likes
On a card/print quality tier list I would think the 2010 pikachu world collection is a candidate for the best. Am I tripping or is the card stock unlike anything else?
I like a very few Japanese cards which you can’t get in English, the silver boarders look better but I prefer English so I can read it. I always read the little description about the Pokémon on bottom right if it has it too.
I’ve only started collecting Pokemon at the end of 2019 (worst possible time, I know). Decided to go for Japanese after a short trial period of buying both Japanese and English, and haven’t looked back. Japanese has nicer borders, way better print quality (at least vintage cards), a better value-for-money ratio, objectively a better attitude towards promos and the collecting aspect in general, and you almost always have the full range of releases to choose from (there are very few cards that are not available in Japan, but there are tons of Japanese cards that are not available in English). The last point is especially important if you collect a broad spectrum of cards and still want language uniformity. You also don’t have to compete with the majority of collectors (except when it comes to Japanese exclusive cards). Lastly, all the money people and scalpers will always go for the most popular products, which are mostly English, so you can avoid them as well.
Edit: Forgot to mention that Japanese cards are the true originals despite wotc being more expensive, some people might care about that.
The only reason why I wouldn’t want more people to consider Japanese is that I don’t want it to become fully mainstream.
I actually started with Japanese products and collected my favs (poncho, mario/luigi, etc). I have now moved onto English especially stamped cards (ex delta, holon phantoms etc).
I was lucky enough growing up as a kid in the US to have a LGS that sold Japanese packs regularly with every release up until I entered my 20’s. I remember seeing Fossil packs as my earliest Japanese sets and when Gym Heroes and such came in, I was in love with the quality of Japanese cards. It’s what helped inspire my English/Japanese collection.
Nowadays, if I get the rare chance to get a card that stands outside of my collection, I always go for Japanese. The quality, as you and many others can attest to, is worth it.
Neither. Only like Japanese when it’s exclusive or different from English. Growing up with the yellow borders and the special english backside has made me prefer it that way
When I was a kid I collected English because it’s what was available to me at the time and I wanted to read the cards. When I got back into collecting about 5/6 years ago I finished all my old binder sets and some graded things then went looking for more challenge…and there you get Japanese! My first cards were the old CD promos but that quickly lead me further into the world of exclusive Japanese cards and I was hooked from that point. Today I collect a mixture of both languages and love both equally. the diversity and options available are what makes this hobby great.