Not me, I didn’t even vote those 2.
Charizard flying through a low detailed canyon is pretty lackluster. I honestly really dislike shining charizard because of the angle and pose. Theres nothing interesting for me in the card and i dont relate with it. A mysterious dragon pokemon just flew by and maybe not very quickly. There really arent any other details that i can follow up with.
The mewtwo card shows a story in it. It takes everything you know about mewtwo and puts you on edge. A super powerful creation, almost ready to be released, we know how this ends with mewtwo breaking out of the lab but here it shows what could be moments before that. Sure we dont see all of mewtwos details but its the calm before the storm, we already know its powerful. If you know nothing about pokemon then youd still find it intriguing; a pokemon being tested, a dark and detailed labratory, this doesnt seem normal at all, this pokemon doesnt look lab made so why is it being tested on?
For that, this mewtwo is way more of a favorite than shining charizard would be to me.
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There’s nothing mysterious about a charizard. The fleeting sight as it passes over the mesas is one of wonder at its majestic and powerful nature. We are viewing it from below, it bestows power and grandeur about the depiction. It shows a different side of him (literally and figuratively). A side that isn’t aggressive and dominant. One that just exists and is benevolent. And since it’s passed us, it is more interesting in that it invokes this idea of it being beyond, wiser, fleeting. Were it heading towards us but drawn up in the same fashion it wouldn’t have the impact. The simplicity of all the shinings is part of the allure when they are done right. It’s not a story, it’s an emotion. Not all cards need be stories and not all stories need be detailed or complicated. It makes me feel good things. Having such things be one way or another does not lessen their quality. The only thing that does is uninspiring artwork, lack of identity, creativity, etc. I know you’re comparing it to mewtube but when you compare it to shining mewtwo, it’s weird that so many hate zard but love the mewtwo. Just strange is all. Inexplicable.
I find mewtube to be about as underwhelming an Arita art can get. Maybe it’s because it’s just a depiction of what we do already know, what we have already seen. It’s a rehash of the movie, of his backstory. For some that is gratifying, for others like me it just doesn’t do anything. I don’t see the depth personally, it’s just kewl. It isn’t the same kind of homage I like seeing where it is some tangential reference to the games like in fan club pory, where the scene is still completely original. But honestly it doesn’t help that it’s a noisy ass GX card where half the presentation is taken up with a mess of text and obtrusive extras. It’s suffocating.
But as you know lyle I respect your opinion, I appreciate you coming to defend it 
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I know you posted a longer explanation later on but then you should be able to see why reducing it to just ‘view from behind’ is a pointless comparison.
Plus it’s not a monolith, I’m sure some criticism for Shining Charizard vs other Shinings is its perspective, but I don’t like any of them in Neo 4 because the perspectives aren’t great, the backgrounds are non-existent and the holo itself sucks.
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Rayquaza V special art peak
I agree completely with you about the 151 ar and the shining. The 151 ar is nice, but nothing special, and the shining is just bland. Kick those two back to 15th place and you have got a great list imo.
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I know you’re comparing it to mewtube but when you compare it to shining mewtwo, it’s weird that so many hate zard but love the mewtwo. Just strange is all. Inexplicable.
Here’s an explanation: everyone experiences artworks differently. You’ve written a whole passage on the emotion behind the Shining Charizard, which is great. I just look at a card and see if I like it. And in my opinion, that’s okay too. Saying you are ‘‘disappointed’’ in other people’s opinions just feels a little elitist to me.
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Never liked Mewtwo in a Tube card, can’t see much from a rear-bottom view! 
The 151 AR is a lot more popular than I realized. Kind of surprises me for such a new card. I’ve gained a new appreciation for the Shining Legends card now.
everyone needs to remember how this poll was conducted.
the question wasn’t “which is your favorite?”. It was “vote for every card you like” which results in the most favorited card. I could title the thread as “E4’s Most Liked”, but that isn’t as catchy lol
This format rewards cards that are well executed concepts that depict the pokemon in a way that the largest % of people appreciate. It makes sense for something simple like the shining and AR to be one of the most liked even if they are simple poses. There is very little about them to make someone think “I don’t like this card”, whereas something more stylized may be more polarizing, resulting in less people “liking” the card.
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Absolutely respect your thoughts. I said it was mysterious because the only thoughts it gives me is a sense of wonder and mystery as it reminds me of when ho-oh was first introduced in the anime. It brings me thoughts like where is it going, what is it doing, its tail is down so maybe it was turning while it travelled through the canyons or just casually flying along, theres no expression on its face but maybe a slight determination which is different from normal charizards firebreathing look. It has too little shown to hold my interest beyond these thoughts so overall for me, while it does give a bit of interest when you stop and really look at it, its also forgettable and fleeting.
Just wanted to explain myself hopefully better while i am less sleep deprived.
Same pose, same shiny aura as seen here.
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There’s an obvious tone of humor in my first post about disappointment. This is all fun here—if you think for a moment there is actual negative feelings here rather than light fun and bantering opinion and the sport of debate (which will never change anyones preferences nor seeks to) then I think you need to take things a little less serious before you call someone elitist over a hobby, especially in this context. And here I thought art was completely objective, thanks for the insight for my closed minded views!
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Off topic I wish they would make a Ho-oh SAR that depicts that famous scene from the first episode. It could be spiced up somehow with the land down below (kinda like the Aerodactyl V alt art).
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I do, I just didn’t say it.
Didn’t like cards with artwork of rear view of the pokemon. Such as shining charizard, charizard vstar rainbow, and (almost) everyone’s fave Mewtube of course.