Brendantheclayboy's Collection - Kinebuchi's Final Boss, a Grail Indeed - 10/31/24

[brendantheclayboy]

More old back binder time to share! This could be the sugariest series of pages I’ve held before me. Four densely packed pages of rainbows today, each with a special theme, rich with artistic wonder! My first Masaki card was the Gengar. Boy is it cosmic. He stands at the void, at the edge of a wormhole, grinning that you may not enter until worthy.
But they really are all equally good. And I mean that. Baba with that Omastar? Get out of here. Golem is Habu’s best work ever (what charm!). As Kurt would put it, Yoshida’s Alakazam is outer god status. Man does that expression really resonate with me with this card. I have visions when I see Alakazam telekinetically moving at sonic speed, leaving a mirage as he apparates around the din of magic. Komiya’s Machamp? Need I say anything? No, but I will. It is one of the cleverest, entertaining, and whimsical pieces of artwork ever, and it epitomizes his work, and shows why it is so easy to love him.
I have come to love Dark Fearow so much, that it may have become one of my favorite old back promo cards. It just speaks to me. I think it is incredible. And of course I found it very colorful and fitting to have the plant monsters fill this page. Dark Venusaur is breathtaking.

The overture:

And now we have another amazing series. My eyes roll back with pleasure every time I turn to this page. What is better than rainbows, I ask you again?? Nothing! The birds, the birds. Perfection. The master ball had to center the page to symbolize having caught all these rare, elusive, legendary beasts. Every one of these cards are infinitely iconic and will be appreciated by many for the rest of history. I am grateful to have them in my collection. I am extremely pleased to have obtained the Moltres from Taizokai, a great friend, who included with it a gift slowbro, that went straight into the collection.

Here we have that utterly gorgeous neo set exclusive page, plus the trainer steelix (yes, yes, I love the CG in it), and of course, why not garnish such a splendor with 'ole maggie, Kinebuchi’s finest. When in doubt, add a Keiji, I always say. My personal favorite of the neo exclusives is the Kingdra. my god, what a banger. I actually find this to be one of the best Pokemon cards ever made, honestly.

And this final page is the special one. The first Pokemon cards, more of the divine Keiji, a cute kitten, some Slows, and the Mews, one of which’s artwork has grown on me a great deal over the time I’ve spent on E4. I think maybe I had to get past the overexposure to the english movie copy. The glossy oldback is far more easily able to be appreciated. It’s gorgeous. Hama Chan’s Slowking is so great! What a card, and what a creation story! And playmat Slowpoke is super early in the release history and a fabulous artifact, especially for a lover of his family.

The denouement:

[muk]

Once again, amazingily beautiful! If I were tasked to fill a few binder pages with my favorite promos, it would most likely look almost exactly like this!
(But I guess you know that ).

What a great idea to dedicate a page to the JPN Neo exclusives! Really makes you think how in the world they were not inculded (as holos) in English when they are some of the best looking cards from that era!

[taizokai]

Sugary is right! But in the best way imaginable! I love your fantastically colorful binder arrangements which are always comprised of some of the finest cards in the TCG. These here are among the very finest! What a collection! And your own descriptions will also undoubtedly be preserved in the great annals of history.
I think I’m going to pour it all into a bowl with milk for my breakfast…they’ll find me passed out on the floor somewhere later…

Amazing post, Brendan!

[MaxyMaxy]

Ahhhh always love seeing your updates!! DELIGHTFUL!!! What a nice walkthrough of different styles!

[brendantheclayboy]

Heh, wait, we have similar taste in cards?? Whooo woulda thought??

You know I don’t have WOTC hate like a lot do, but yeah… that was quite the blunder by them. I cannot comprehend it. My mind cannot actually understand! Not a good look

I know you like the Venus line on Masaki page, @muk ! I gotta keep it all fresh by keeping the array jazzy and uniquely ordered when not by artist or some other system!

@taizokai

Tell Amelie I’m sorry in advance for making you pass out with visual stimulus pleasure. This is not my intention, but I can’t say I’m not amused
@imakunizauntie, I appreciate you stopping by my dude! Glad you enjoy the additions! Y’know, I am waiting patiently for one of yours, as well as the usual crews, these boys above included

[brendantheclayboy]

I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time. The most special parts of one’s collection in my opinion are about the particular pokemon they love, whether it be focused on a specific favorite, a select few, or just a wider variety with their favorite artwork or artists that goes back in their personal history of loving pokemon. Pokemon they identify with, have special memories of, obtained from childhood on card or gameboy.

@brendantheclayboy

Slowbro because of his everything. The original card was magical to me, very much represented my idea of what he is–and I find him fascinating because he is cerebral, but ironic. He seems dull and stupid. Everyone thinks he is in the anime, and in the real world. But that is part of his deception… and allure. He is actually so wise and profound that he is living his life constantly seeing into the beyond, and therein lies his psychic power. He has achieved nirvana. That, and he’s like a water bear thing, and bears are just simply awesome creatures.

@brendantheclayboy

Slowbro. He’s a visionary, a genius, a seer. And most people don’t know it, and therein lies the allure. He has everyone underestimating his intelligence. He’s achieved Nirvana, transcended, so is always in his staring meditation and trance. It’s also amazing that he is water and psychic, the best typing combo.

I do have my “party” collection, but my specific favorite, and what I am here to showcase today, is this guy and his family. The Slow family. My beloved Pokemon. This is the cornerstone of my collection, and I reached a milestone with its progress so I am excited to present them in the best way I can at the moment. I display these and my porygon in my bedroom the most.

I have already said so much about them on E4 that I cannot repeat too much. But I will say that I really do think their artwork is incredibly fortunate to have had such steady consistency and special attention, by all of the greats. Remarkable reverence for the bros. They have the best artwork, as has been thoroughly documented here on E4 and universally agreed upon. Rejoice.

-The Playmat Slowpoke is mint, just a ridiculously harsh grade due to the top right corner. Indistinguishable from a 9.
-Sometimes you have to get both JP and english to max out enjoyment and appreciation. Card stock, color palette, texture, etc. Example is the rocket slowpoke, look at the colors and texture!
-Isn’t it hilarious and an insult to Tanaka that her name be spelled wrong on WOTC slowpoke debut? Well, worry not, a JP one will be obtained to correct that, and I already have the LC copy to right the wrong done in this regard.
-Speaking of, these LC reverses are godly. Oh my, look at these!
-Many know I am on the hunt for the carddass copies as well. Red and green happen to be my favorite colors so the fortune and serendipity I suffer due to this is impeccable.
-And of course vending slowbro. The pinnacle.
–Masterpieces, all!

This is not the end of this collection. I have plenty more to get, so this will be a 2 or even 3 parter. I originally planned on getting most if not all graded myself, even having most of them raw already, minus a few notable ones, but sometimes the cards show up cheaper for sale than I care to pass on, so here we are with some more than expected. These are just some of the ones I have had set aside since before PSA shut down that I am adding to. I wasn’t ready for a rushed haphazard order when they were rearing to close, so I decided I had to just sit it through. Soon!

Considering this to be my most cherished and significant portion of my collection, I have thusly added it to my OP as an additional banner of sorts. Long live Slow fam!

[caughtatpoint]

Yesss

[c0ll3ct0r]

@brendantheclayboy

You know I love a good card fan…this is one of the best Bros. Triple OG foil supremacy, it doesn’t get much better.

[kromaticlanturn]

Freakin awesome, man! Was waiting for a Slowbro update, and you did NOT disappoint! I’ve also always loved Slowbro, but you’ve taken it to the next level!

[lamplamp]

Nice update friend, that Southern Islands Slowking is legit. The full card reverse cosmos foil pattern is unparalleled. Thanks for showcasing your favorite Pokemon, the love is real.

[muk]

Wow, your update certainly didn’t disappoint! The Slow-line has some of the most consistently best artworks in the TCG imo - and Slowbro is absolutely one of, if not the most interesting Gen 1 evolution! It’s kinda inspiring how two underdogs like Slowpoke and Shellder can merge into this freak of nature, a genius, a demigod. Heavy agree on the OG Himeno Fossil Slowbro - this first impression will always define that Pokemon as a standout character to me. But as mentioned before, there are so many other great ones from that line like Team Rocket Slowpoke, Southern Island Slowking, Destiny Light Slowbro etc etc etc. I wish you the best of luck for completing a mint graded set of all the artworks you really want!

[pulpyfan]

Your enthusiasm is unmatched. Great presentation, you coordinated the paper with the Pokemon in an eye-catching gradient. Homemade = love

[pokemick]

The love. The care. The devotion. That was emotional and a bloody good read.

Shout out to Tanaka’s fossil Slowpoke, never fails.

[brendantheclayboy]

@caughtatpoint, best use of that meme ever

@c0ll3ct0r, I wasn’t conscious of it while taking the pics, but when uploading and seeing the post, it occurred to me how much these look like your fans! It was at that point that I knew you would like

@kromaticlanturn, thanks for stopping by as always, I looked very forward to sharing my Slow collection to my fellow people, thinking of you and the other friends I have here on E4. *Coughwanttoseeacollectionadditionfromyouasapcough*

@lamplamp, you deserve a special nod of appreciation, as your flareon collection is not only outstanding but very inspiring for my collection of Slows. I certainly had you in mind in my showcase and the care that went into cultivating it and, yes, even photographing it. I agree that Southern Slowking is top tier. I grin widely every time I look at it. Sounds a little biased, I know, but I think it is the best in that glorious set. And another of my fav’s (exeggutor) is in there too.

@muk, I love what you have to say, it pleases me. I know, the fusion of the two is so very interesting to create such a (as you perfectly put it) demigod! Hah! Thanks so much for your words man. I can’t ever say that enough. I love how many of us had a collection addition in this short span here, and we were all able to participate in each other’s. Your reciprocation of passion for all of this is really amazing my friend, and encourages me endlessly. Cheers.

@pulpyfan, another man of great gifs/pics. And yes, these backdrops are inspired by your thread. I’ve said it before but there it is again for your ego Thanks a lot man! God I love your collection.

@pokemick, thanks for stopping by and I’m pleased you enjoy! I hope to see you realize your goals with your awesome no-rarities, and hope to see more collection additions with time. I’ll be watching.

My people, their collections, and their words of response and passion are what make it so enjoyable to maintain a fun collection thread, and I just want to thank everyone again. Not every day I can show my bro’s, but I am excited to see it round out and publish its completion, then be like every other species collector and longingly wait for a new release (with great art of course, no bland stuff for this slowbro).

[joponnes]

So nice to see this post, your additions and taste of cards ofc is always superb which i probably have already made clear but you know i love a great single pokemon post, especially when it’s of so good one! I’ve always had quite a lot of self irony so i often compare a lot of my facial expressions and way of thinking with the slow family which ofc means i’ve gotten a special bond with them for a long time to top it off the artwork from different eras is great, even though i didn’t specifically collect doubles as kid i did end up with a full binder page of fossil slowpokes which is a precious collection memory for me from my childhood!

[brendantheclayboy]

Today I present some fabulous E promos, of a few varieties. First, the Mcdonalds E-Series Promos. These are super spectacular. Even with a Slowpoke in there, I can’t really even pick a favorite. Actually, I can. Squirtle is the best. It just is. Cosmic and colorful, creative and coveted. But Slowpoke, Larvitar, Marill, Phanpy, and Natu are stupendous in their own right. I never actually liked that style for Slowpoke and Chikorita originally, but now, like with so much, they have appreciated wildly. I couldn’t think of anything better to diversify the art set. What a fun set to collect, and surely must have been such an excitement for the kids in Japan 20 years ago to get these profound artworks out of the packs for what was essentially free. They really never ever came even close to such amazing promos from food releases. Though there is actually one in particular that has my favorite mon, hmm…

But that’s not all, no, no, no! Then we have the P promos (mons only), considering 6 cards in particular, excluded, to be a subset and not included as a goal to me as this main set. I play by my own rules. Starting with the remaining Mcdonalds promos… Now this is variety, history, and unique representations here! As has been poured over lavishly, one of the main glories of many of these cards is the counter-parting with the mainline sets. Whether it be Expedition Pikachu, the famed Aquapolis roof Umbreon, Donphan post pulverization, Tyrogue fitting in a new work out routine, or Growlithe getting a new view of the Aquapolis fountain, and more, they all incessantly and ceaselessly amaze me. Even the simplicity of some… I just love the pairing idea, and is one of many concepts they hit that made it more exciting to look a little deeper. I love how many of them were aquapolis, making it all the better. Everyone’s favorite has to be Umbreon because the artwork pairing is so starkly contrasted and lofty to boot from Arita. Night and day they say. I can’t say mine is different necessarily, though a couple come close: Donphan and Tyrogue, for both the pairing and individual arts.

And this leads into the black star variety. Some movie promos and more event goodies. I also toss my Web Exclusives in here, as there aren’t more than a few that aren’t reissues. But let me take a second to recognize, in addition to the great (kind of secret) Sugi exclusives that you never see anywhere, the one-of-a-kind Unikarp in a not so exclusive release, but a uniquely distributed card! This is one of the only cards in Pokemon history that had a ‘trophy release’ that was reissued in such a way that its own reissue is quite underground in the grand scheme of things, compared with an ordinary reissue that involves set cards transitioning to or from promos. My own way of having a Unikarp! But what I do appreciate is that the framing is different, so it reserves the perfection for the original without stealing it. I am glad of the alteration other than the E border. But look at its beauty! The middle row of the page below is my favorite 3! And how bout them Pichu Bros?!

Since I do love my energy arrays, and the Mcdonalds set would be incomplete without it, here is the addition of rainbow. Not much to say. They are gorgeous as everything else truly. A perfect 9 page fit with the other elements from VS

And I might have saved the best for last. A good dose of a Happy Adventure in all of us. Harada’s best work, incredible and stellar. Celestial, actually. Some of the best promos ever released, with each card being phenomenally dynamic, detailed, natural, and action packed. And all equally good, and all sharing in environment. Does it get better? No. It only strives to be equally unique and cool as these bad boys. And then what is so cool is this little ‘secret rare’ of sorts, the extra Pikachu. Love it. Celebi is my favorite here, no doubt about it. Entei is a close second. I would enjoy a massive poster of the combined art, but forever I will love these cards! What an iconic subset. Greatness.

[muk]

Epic update, homie!!! One of my favorite ones so far! I’m actually in the process of getting some of these promos for my Kusajima and Komiya binders, too. I guess you can figure out which ones
But my personal favorite of them all will always be Himeno’s Marill. Such an interesting, unique enviroment for this Pokemon to be in, yet such a distinct classic Himeno style.
One of the best things of these small promo sets is that the average quality is so high when there’s no need for lame fillers to fluff up the set.
Again, very awesome update and very fitting cards for you

[kromaticlanturn]

Incredible stuff, man! I’ve actually been contemplating completing these little mini sets myself. They are absolutely beautiful cards. I’m partial to the Donphan, Vulpix, and of course the Lanturn myself, along with the other crowd favorites. Your collection is amazing, my dude! It’s very fun to watch you complete all these little tidbits and put the pieces together.

[brendantheclayboy]

yeah @muk some of those kusajimas were suuuch a struggle to find as weve talked about. Daily searching for months, wild. 006 space world was the last i needed for that particular subset of black stars, took me longer than any other card in the whole p promo sets.

Dude marill is one of those all time Himenos that shows her style is the best, unbeatable. It is exactly this style/technique she employed in this era and on that card that is not only my personal favorite of hers, but that made her basically my favorite artist, sentimentally and artistically. This spans across vending/VHS, and bleeds into quite a few sets of perfection.

No fillers here

@kromaticlanturn , the Lanturn pair is just up your alley, you need the Mcdonalds cards

I mean it literally doesn’t get more aquapolis than this. I wanted to write a book-length analysis of all the pairs, but I spared everyone of my verbosity. But it is one of the more significant pairs with yet another story element. In fact, this is quite the allegory here in my opinion. So funny how I was saying ‘searching deeper’, when this is literally a metaphor for that! Oh man! Just realized this is the deepest pairing. Lanturn searching deeper in the ruins of Aquapolis.

[kromaticlanturn]

I’m so ready for those pair analytics from you if you find the time haha