Value wise: Japanese were the last to rise are already looking like the first to fall. For fun, Japanese are the way to go.
Where are you seeing the evidence that Japanese will be the first to fall? Whilst English prices have been decreasing/bottoming Japanese prices have been steady or increasing during the same time period? Most English cards I sold in 2020 are now less than what I sold them for whereas Japanese cards itās the complete opposite.
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You donāt care about future value, youāre broke and you like to read the text on your cards?
English unlimited. /thread
My two cents: Japanese Exclusive and English E-Series. If it were me I wouldnāt collect Japanese cards of English cards I already have (unless I had the extra expendable income). Because Japanese exclusive, you get that exclusive one of a kind art. And English E-Series, youāre so close to finishing WotC!
@woolsluk,
Pretty much what I always go by, people trying to sell to me. This last month Iām getting barraged with Japanese sell offs. Many were too good to be true so just on general principles I took some leaps but I can afford to do that. The OP was being more specific.
The other indicator for me is if something seems like a good deal and I donāt want to bite, I have 3 people I refer to. They are passing more often than not now too.
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I respect you and all but I think you are jumping to conclusions. Rather than looking at just what people are selling to you (or trying) when making these types of assumptions you need to look at the actual market and what it is doing. People that want to sell to you are more than likely just wanting it all gone with a quick sale which obviously is going to be for a lower price than what they would actually sell for on the open market.
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One thing to take into consideration is this: The color saturation.
Most people know about how japanese base have saturation almost resembling a light shadowless card, but the same is true for the rest of the generation 1 sets. I prefer English, but this is the one selling point for vintage japanese to me personally:
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Saying the earth is flat is more correct than japanese is the first to fall.
Majority of English cards have retraced from 2020, and the opposite is true for Japanese.
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As much as I enjoy the conversation of longterm market value as a separate discussion, it really has no bearing whatsoever on my decision making. If I wanted the most valuable cards longterm I would just hold onto my 1st Editions. How much my cards end up worth someday is a perk, not a motivator.
When I started collecting 1st Editions in the first place, my motivator was just that I thought they were the more interesting and most fun option. So thatās really what I am trying to decide now ā what is the more interesting and more fun path for me to take from here?
I am also partial to the Japanese colors. I swear that side by side the difference appears more subtle, but when I look at a Japanese card on its own I instantly vibe with the darker, richer color saturation. It gives them a real premium feeling, along with the gold border. The clarity of the image in the foil is also a lot more pleasing to me.
Second this 
I believe itās because Japanese, and most non English cards, have simply been a more affordable option. Iām talking about this past month forward now though. My gauge has proven to be pretty accurate and thatās what I go by.
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I sold $2650 worth of japanese cards this weekend. Multiples copies of some items as well. If that is doing poorly, then Iāll take those poorly sales every weekend.
Japan didnāt experience the popularity wave like English. There isnāt an exodus of Japanese collectors. Where in English, most wotc cards are down, some arenāt done declining. Set cards are the main aspect of english. Where japanese, promos are more prominent, and they didnāt/arenāt experiencing a massive retrace. Also that exposure flushed out what was directly available in closets and stores (wotc & modern english). Japanese collections were not flushed out, especially at the rate of english.
The lack of public exposure has paid dividends for japanese. Where for english, the opportunity was on the front end of already owning the cards during the exposure. Now its a race to the bottom trying to cash in on accessible cards.
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Up until the beginning of last year I used to only collect English first edition WOTC sets. But as prices increased, I ended up getting priced out of almost all the cards I was going after. Instead of giving up and leaving Pokemon forever, I decided to rewatch some of SMPRATTEās Japanese Mail day videos. I was instantly drawn to the artwork and history of the old back Japanese Promos. After watching several of Scottās videos, I told myself that I need to start my own binder collections of all the old back Japanese promos/set cards. And fast forward over a year now, I have accumulated a wonderful collection of cards that I never even knew existed a year prior. After looking back, I wish I would have known about Japanese cards when I first entered the hobby. If I would have been introduced to Japanese first, I donāt think I would have ever gone after English cards. All I can say is once I went Japanese I never went back!
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You should collect English only. That way, it doesnāt affect the price of the Japanese cards I will buy.
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thatās the right answer
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Once you go to Japanese, you canāt go back.
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You are asking if you should collect quality and variety or a product with scratches fresh out of the pack.
Iāve appreciated very much the variety of responses from people. Iāve just been reading and considering the perspectives and see what my emotional response has been to each suggestion.
I feel like the encouragements to go Japanese resonate with me the most. However not being able to read them remains a huge deterrent. I am now processing this and trying to determine if the excitement I feel about the prospect of this new direction is enough to overcome this significant deterrent.
Just learn Japanese, problem solved.
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I have tried to learn to read it but my capacity for language acquisition is accursedly small.
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