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"She will be wrapped in shiminawa rope and stand towering above a metropolis of glowing lights, defiantly resisting the fallacy of progress, and embodying the passage of time. She looks like her relatives, the great cedar trees of Japan who, like its people, endure." Damn dude, that is some beautiful writing. Just incredible stuff. Every time I watch a Rhystic Studies video I come away inspired. What a genuine gift.
Beautiful talent, it’s sad that such linguistic arts are giving way to an endless sea of facsimile choreography, further dulling expressions for the sake of illusory social bonds.
Something I love about this era: no Planewalkers, no multi-Planar threat, just pure, striking story-telling about individual worlds and their denizens. Mirrodin, Kamigawa, Ravnica, and Lorwyn are my favorite blocks/eras of MTG for the Vorthos part of my brain. It's nice to return to Kamigawa and its futuristic evolution. :)
I wanted you to know that your videos manage to transcend the Magic audience. My mother, who was born in Kyoto, absolutely adored this video and praised the accuracy, and attention to detail. She has never once expressed interest in Magic, but she couldn't help but feel enammered with the art and story behind them. Keep up your incredible work, and congratulations on your degree.
I , like many , sold all my cards at the end of highschool and never got back into playing at all... not even sure how i came across this channel.... but it's damn good story telling and I'm always into a good story well told.
I’m half Japanese, and have been very close to Japan throughout my whole life. Neon Dynasty was the block that started my very recent magic journey, and I’ve been in love with the world of Magic ever since. Trying to make a 5 colour spirit Edh deck has lead me to look through a lot of blocks, but mainly Saviors of Kamigawa. Journeying through and seeing all these cards, Wizards have done such a good job representing and showcasing Japanese culture, and it has made me feel proud, grateful, and more in love with magic. Thanks for making this video man, appreciate it.
Have you ever tried an Iname as One deck? It's my current commander obsession and golgari for spirits feels so appropriate. You end up with a deck that's constantly shifting between life and death, into the graveyard into the battlefield back into the graveyard into your hand and on and on, you get aboard and then in one way or another you keep it as it shifts but the flow of spirits never stops, each with their own little effects and synergies. It's really a lot of fun and actually quite good, just make sure you're very familiar with what all the spirits do because you can end up taking truly annoyingly long turns. Check it out on EDH rec under the 'spirits' sub archetype, and make sure you get every card that puts your commander from the zone into your hand
When I first read the flavor text on Guardian of Solitude way back, it really put things in perspective. I was going through a difficult time in my life and reading that flavor text was theraputic in a sense. It has stayed with me to this day and reminds me that things could always be worse despite how hopeless it all seems now. Beautiful video.
Weird how words can effect us similarly. I had a seizure and was dead for 7 minutes years ago. Horrifying experience. Not recommend. Was pretty depressed just sifting through cards to take my mind of shit and I re-read this card. Still helps me to this day. That and Akroma. No rest. No mercy. No matter what.
the flavor text in question: "It seemed an easy thing, to step into the nothingness, to fall, to die. But then, for an instant, I saw it, eyes filled with endless sorrow, and I turned back to face my pain." -Snow-Fur, kitsune poet
@@soarel325 Yeah they will get more money from releasing two sets that each partially cater to two target audiences at once than making one set specifically targetted to one group and one to the other. The more money a corpo has the more they want of it.
*"The world is old. It rewards those who take time to grow."* Damn, dude. That actually made me tear up. I'm am amateur artist, but there's a reason I don't paint professionally, why I feel like I'll always be an amateur. I'm slow, painfully slow. To give you an idea, there's a piece I'm working on for a friend that's taken me over two years already. And he hasn't exactly been patient. I know he's just excited, but it's still frustrating and depressing... Part of it is my obsession with details people will never ever notice, like scratches in metal or scuffs in fabric, reflections in tiles. Frankly, it's kind of exhausting which is why I have to take long breaks between sessions. Not helping matters. Despite how many people tell me how amazing they think my work is, it's always been tainted by the knowledge that it probably took way too long to create. Like, a better artist would do it faster. But that line at the end there. It's the first time I've ever considered that my methodical nature could be an asset. I don't know. That choked me up. I'm probably still too slow, lol. But that was a nice thought. I'll remember that whenever I paint now. Thank you.
As a guy that enjoy art but no ability to make pieces of my own, my words of encouragement might be lacking but i hope you stick with it my dude. I can`t speak for others in terms of what they like to see in art pieces but for me, i find greatness in detail. Some artists spend many years on their pieces and that`s totally ok. Perfection does not exist in an art piece and is only complete once the artist is content with it IMO. Haste makes waste, and i would rather wait many years for a piece with a great eye to detail, as well as something the artist is content with rather than something rushed and made for the masses. Keep doing you, and there will always be someone to appreciate your efforts. Also, my english is not my first language so have mercy, haha.
@@Sun-ng7gj thanks! I actually finished it at the start of this year. I've even tackled a handful of art projects and, finished all of them, since. I've been trying to work on being a little quicker and not going quite so insanely over-the-top detailed with my backgrounds, lol.
@@MarxForever congratulations on a finished piece! Sounds like you are being less critical of yourself and trusting the process more which always is a good thing. May you continue to get more comfortable with your style and produce stellar works of art! I don't know you but I hope you know you are wonderful and loved.
I'll be honest. It is incredibly hard to do what Kamigawa's artistic and writing direction team did. I see it as a respectable attempt to incorporate real culture into a game, and I see no problems with it. It was not made with disdain or ill-intent, nor was it made to simply sell cards. They portrayed a world, a conflict, different ideologies and characters, and it shows. And even if they failed in representing it truthfully, even if they fail to convey the intricacies of its real life inspiration... they tried to. And in these cases the "intent" is the most important aspect. I can imagine that a lot of kids probably searched or looked-up a lot of these creatures'/objects' inspirations and probably learned something new. At the end of the day, I'll ask this question: "If it had not been made, would we have lost something of good value? Or would we instead recognize that this worthy of making, despite its flaws and misconceptions?" Most of the time the answer is yes. We would have lost something. Because even if we are given a partial or wrong answer about a given topic, if it motivates us to learn more and find out more for ourselves, then it means it sparked something inside of us.
@@RhysticStudies I just thought it worth saying. :) One thing that I feel your video could've benefitted in its "argument" is ending on a slightly more emphatic final note of what I wrote above. Because I truly believe that there is nothing better than imitation with good intentions. Also the Japanese themselves have never shied away from representing other cultures, no matter how incorrect their depiction was. Hell, American and European culture was one of the great fascinations that Japan obsessed, and still obsesses to this day. And they emulated lots of it in media and every day life. Fun fact for you (in case you don't know) Christmas is celebrated in Japan. How do they celebrate Christmas Eve? It's basically a sort of Valentine's day equivalent so they offer presents to their loved one. And their tradition is to also eat KFC. No joke. :P
Such powerful design and presentation for a simple 1/1 creature with no effect. Back then I was only a child, but I still wondered why there was so much care put into such a weak card. Years later, I watched Mushishi and I finally understood
I grew up in a small town far away from big box stores and game shops. My introduction to Magic was building, battling, and breaking down decks from a few boxes of bulk commons my brother brought home from a trip to Alaska. I remember buying my first pre-constructed deck from a shop in Berkeley about a year after I started playing, it was the Ninjas deck from Betrayers. Through the films of Miyazaki I was primed to be enchanted by the lore in the Kamigawa block. One such film was Princess Mononoke, which also featured vengeful spirits with heavy inspiration from Shinto tradition. That film holds a special place for me to this day, as does Kamigawa. Both of these pieces of art take liberties with cultural tradition to tell a story, while maintaining enough integrity to immerse us in their mythos. If artists were never to take liberties with cultural tradition I don't think we would have much diversity of tradition, which live primarily through rich storytelling histories. I never felt like Kamigawa made the promise that it was a strict representation of Shinto, and don't think that the use of Kami as a metaphor for nature striking back at the hubris of humans is an artistic mistake unless the story is interpreted literally. We should indeed be cautious on misrepresenting religious traditions, but shouldn't we also be protective of the artistic liberties that birthed those traditions as well?
Kamigawa was what really pulled me into Magic. I grew up on DBZ (my first TCG), Anime and all the Japanese culture I could. I'm sad it didn't get the love I thought it deserved at the time, but Neon seems like it will make up for it.
I'm guessing you and I are around the same age since I too played the DBZ TCG. I remember in high school that me and my friends were very excited to get a Japanese themed set.
I came into MTG just before Mirrodin so when they announced Kamigawa as a lover of DBZ and many other anime i was stoked. And my playgroup at the time had no hate for it. It wasn't til i can't back to the game in 2018 and then not till even a couple years after that that i started getting that people didn't like it. Still love it
I think now that they understand how to base a world on real life cultures better, as well as Japanese culture being more well known nowadays, it will work out
I started playing "Legend-Lander" (it would be years before commander would be codified and become part of the Magic community's general consiousness) during the Kamigawa block's tenure in standard. During a game of Extended, I made an opponent's Sword of Light and Shadow fall off of their creature with Eight-and-aHalf-Tails' ability turning the Sword white, then blocked and killed the attacker. I quickly came to love the card, and my friends and I each decided to build a mono-color Highlander deck around a different Legend from the block. While it's gone through steady changes over the last decade and a half, I've never once taken the deck apart. The deck also survived intact when the rest of my collection was destroyed a few years after I created it. If not for it, my relationship with Magic would be very different, if it would even exist at all. So for that, thank you Eight-O, and thank you, Kamigawa for the memories.
Mirrodin, Lorwyn, Shadowmoor, and Kamigawa have this awesome art style. It’s a good mixture of practical and digital art between the old style of the Dominaria and the new styles of Zendikar/Innistrad.
"The world is old, it rewards those who take time to grow" is a truly touching and beautiful line. How you can end a video about card game design with such a powerful line is an incredible testament to your skill as a writer.
"The world is old. It rewards those who take the time to grow." Is this from something? Or do I need to site Rhystic Studies when I say this for the rest of my life? Like that is one of those things that just instantly resonated.
Kamigawa is my favourite plane, old and new. So in love with the Japanese culture, iconography, the flavor text of the old cards… but also the cyberpunk aspect of the Neon Dynasty.
Wow, I'm not sure I've ever been this early before. Then again the little bell rang and said there's a new Rhystic Studies video and I sure wasn't going to miss it.
I always loved the feeling kamigawa gave of myself. But I never really knew quite what it was that endeared this set to me in ways none other since could. But now I realise, it is indeed the feeling of a real and ancient world, it does not feel like this world was created for a card game out of nothing, only to last for a year and then move on to the next story. It feels OLD, like it has always been there for ages, like it has been lived in and shapen by people. Like a world you can actually step into unlike most others of the fantastical mtg worlds, it feels like a world you can live a life in, rather than one you visit for a few moments before returning to reality. Thank you for this video.
@@danacoleman4007Yeah but there's a certain point. Like, if the spirits had Persist instead if Soul Shift and if the Arcane splicing or whatever had actually efficiently costed cards it would manage to be mechanically and flavor sufficient.
Sam's superpower is getting me to click on a half hour video, having me think "I'll watch just a few minutes then finish it later," then finishing the whole thing in one sitting. Incredible work!
The justice that was never done for Kamigawa is now shined upon. Thank you 🙏 I’m sure there was much more you couldn’t fit into the video, but I like this dive into these with you narrating. I’m not kidding it feels like everything has slowed down around me, like you explained in the forest, when watching your videos. Being able to slow down and enjoy every detail we overlook on a day to day basis is perfection. Thank you!
That ancient feeling the block managed to capture was what originally enraptured me. To walk among an old growth is a treasure, a portal through time and space that connects us to millennia past. Some of my favorite cards ever printed were in this block. I'll always remember playing Godo, Marrow-Gnawer, Boseiju, Shirei, and many others. Very entertaining video.
i dont play mtg arena anymore for like 1,5 years now. but my friend, who i played magic with in end of 90s, early 200s, sent me all his magic cards. so i was in love with old land arts for the last few days. this new dynasty set coming out. i mean, i have very similar opinions to many new entries of old franchises. they took the new wave theme, that like everybody uses these days for their youtube intros, release videos, and put it into magic :D this is a behaviour of reoccuring "classic" you can notice in the whole gaming industry as well.
Honestly gobsmacked that I could be so emotionally moved by a video about MtG cards. I'm so glad I discovered your channel. This video is a master work
Fuck man your videos are so beautiful. The calm timbre of your voice over soft subtle music always create this fireside vibe. And the ending of this one gave me chills. “The world is old, it rewards those who take time grow”
As someone who speaks Japanese fluently, thank you for pronouncing Kamigawa (and the other Japanese/Japanese-inspired words) the way you did. It's not perfect, but the way most people pronounce them is like nails on a chalk board to me. (for anyone curious, in Japanese, a letter is either a vowel sound or a consonant sound followed by a vowel sound. So in "Kamigawa" Ka, mi, ga, and wa are each separate letters (when writing in hiragana, let's ignore kanji because kanji doesn't matter too much when pronouncing words). In Japanese, with one exception, all letters are pronounced the same all the time. In the case of Kamigawa, Ka is like "kah", mi is like "me", ga is like "gah" and wa is like "wah". Mainly what bothers me about how most people who pronounce Kamigawa is how, for some reason, Ka is pronounced like "Kya". Just... no.)
I know I missed on some of the pronunciations here (Eiganjo, for example, even though I knew better), but I did my best without having studied Japanese.
@@RhysticStudies I understand it's counterintuitive in a lot of ways, and I don't expect perfection. I learned Japanese the "easy way" but I've tried learning other languages as an adult, and it is not easy. Even though the way most people pronounce Kamigawa does bother me, I don't mean to hate on anyone. I just appreciate the effort!
I'm so glad we finally have a return to one of my favorite planes. Kamigawa's rich and beautiful setting had me hooked and pushed me to learn more about Japanese history, mythology, and practices. I totally get the dissonance of have the Kami attacking mortal reality, but I always chocked it up to Konda's actions. Daimyo Konda stole O-Kagachi's immortality for himself. O-Kagachi, being the spirit of all things is tied to all other Kami, and the world itself in every way. If a being so powerful was wounded and enraged, with ever other spiritual being like cell in a body. It wouldn't matter how benign, peacful, or inactive each other Kami was; if O-Kagachi willed it, they would become violent. That's just the take I understood way back when I first read those detailed Planar Pages for Champions of Kamigawa.
Kamigawa has always been my favorite plane from a design standpoint. There was always something about the world that stuck with me, and I was always sad that it flopped as hard as it did. This is an excellent video that helps reinforce my appreciation.
It was Rei's short story about Eight and a Half Tails that turned me into a vorthos way back in the late 2000s. It's so beautiful - both heavy with import and captivating in style. I'm sad to see their partnership has ended, but kudos for what he's done and will do with Pokémon!
Kamigawa was my first contact with magic, and growing up with many many Manga & Animes, it really laid the foundation for my love & interest in japan & its folklore :) Only later as a more advanced player i'd discovered that - mechanically- kamigawa wasnt well taken ... but that only increased my love for this set!
Great video. I have to disagree about them overstepping. There is a lack of well-defined depictions of what kami look like, and the drawings that exist tend to vary greatly. This lends itself very well to artists' freedom of interpretation. I personally think they did an excellent job overall, having been given a very difficult task. I think the art in this set is some of the most unique in MTG to this day. This is the set that really got me into the game. Kamigawa was the first time I ever bought a booster box. Now I'm much older and don't even play, but I can't wait to naively open my NEO box and enjoy whatever they've created.
I believe that the kami turning against humans makes sense, the humans did betray them in a profound and terrible way, so its only natural that they'd try to take back what was stolen from them. Also, as far as I know kami do become vengeful if they are disrespected and mistreated, and sometimes evil spirits become kami themselves after being divinized and purified through worship.
I don't have time to watch the whole video right now. I just enter, give it a like, and I'll watch it later. I know this is quality content and deserves it before even seeing it.
As someone who appreciates Japanese culture and Magic who was not playing Magic when these sets came out, this is great. You produce some of the best content on TH-cam while also elevating the format.
Rob Scallon / Rhystic Studies is a crossover I never thought I’d see. Literally two of my favorite channels, but never in a million years would I have guessed I’d see Rob’s stuff in one of your videos 😂
Kamigawa was my first introduction to the game. The artwork on those Forest cards always resonated with me, and to this day I always make sure to include those Forests in my green decks. Most of my appreciation for Old Kamigawa can be attributed to art/flavor/nostalgia. I was hoping I'd feel that way again with the release of the upcoming return to Kamigawa, but unfortunately that isn't the case :[ But thanks for showcasing the spirit of Old Kamigawa the way I remember it :]
You are not alone. The lack of named characters, people forgetting the prevalence of Kami Magic (Arcane), Aspects of Life and Death.. and a lot of design space dedicated to pieces that could be placed in any other Plane.
Man, I love your videos. They're always inspiring, and also more or less _taught me_ how to analyse art. Or at least got me into the right mindset of learning how to do so. Thank you for that, and thank you for your continued output of top tier content. I'm very grateful for it.
Even before I got into anime and japanese culture, Kamigawa's art captivated me as a kid. That spirit dog thing made of candles always stuck with me for some reason.
Great video! One thing usually overlooked when people talk about why this set was perceived as a failure; it's the competition when it was released. At that time, one of the other big CCG was Legend of the five rings (L5R), a Feudal Japanese inspired card game. So many people felt it was a New coke move; try to chase the competition when you're number one. I was working at a game store at that time a some people asked what was the diferencie between Kamigawa and L5R. Some of the old L5R sets still in display where published by WotC, and this added a lot of confusion.
Kamigawa was the first block I really got interested in Magic. It was truly Magical in a sense - different from reality, yet similar enough that it was approachable. Mirridon was cool but it was completely futuristic with few heros and relatable characters. Then in Kamigawa you had people like Takano, Azuela, etc. and it was awesome.
Of all the cards I've seen through over a decade of Magic, the simple blue 1/1 with no abilities is the card that stayed with me. It drives home the settings of the entire block with just a few words, in a way that no legendary spirits ever could. Thank you for including Wandering Ones in your video, I love that card.
Endlessly masterful. This is another one to come back to down the line, whenever I'm in the mood for a healthy dose of whimsy and lore. Also, the narration from other content creators and MTG community figures was a really nice touch. I'd love to see more of that in future essays
here in brazil, the country with the most concentration of japanese people out side of japan in the world, as far as i know kamigawa had good aproval of mtg players, especially in my city (Curitiba, the city with the second biggest nipo-brazilian population, being São Paulo the greatest), here we have a lot of stores owened by japanese, und the city's popular market half of stores belong to nipo-brazilians, and sell japanese food and decorations, and in curitiba we have 3 festivals (matsuri) every year: hana matsuri (festival of the flower, budah's birthday), imin matsuri (celebration of japanese imigration) and haru matsuri (spring festival) it's funny to be remebered that only now japanese culture is being more presented to the US
Honestly the allure of Kamigawa set appealed to me YEARS before I ever started playing myself, for reference my first set was og innistrad. My friends always played and the kamigawa artwork/theme really spoke to me. to this day some of my all time favorite cards were from that set.
I have seen a LOT of fantasy worlds using the trappings of traditional Japan- ones created both by the Japanese and by foreigners, and Kamigawa feels the most like someone spent a day with some library books, wrote down some cool-sounding words and what they mean and then used them to paint-by-numbers in a fairly bog-standard fantasy world. I think they did more work than that, but that is still what it feels like. I also find it so strange that they went with these other-worldly and frightening creatures, calling them kami, when, if that is the aesthetic they were going to go with, then Japanese and Shinto myths have the equally, if not more frightening yokai, who already have intense appearances and lore to draw upon.
I love that when you mention EDH in the context of Kamigawa, all you show is Kodoma's Reach, easily one of my favorite spells to cast, and one that always reminds me of Kamigawa and all the magic and mystery there.
Great vid. I disagree re: unnecessary oversteps with regard to having a different take on Shinto, kami, etc. I think that's what prevents it from simply being use of the existing world and culture and more into development of the fantastical, much the same way that Japanese creatives have developed their own narratives and concepts from European folklore and Abrahamic religions. I would be hard pressed to say something like Evangelion even remotely resembles Judeo-Christian practice, but in using it as a baseline it creates its own thing entirely. I think it's a good thing, overall.
I think my disagreement comes from it being regarded as a **worldbuilding** oversight, though I see it as a personal disagreement than an objective one. If the idea of the set, in a vacuum, was "Shinto gone wrong", is it not then sensible for the Kami of this world to act and look different of those in Kamgawa? Sure, on Earth, in our Shinto, the kami are not vengeful - they are those who we should work with to preserve the land itself. But on Kamigawa, they take a much more active role in the preservation of the forces there - so it would make sense that these normally-benevolent and mischievous creatures would become upset when a human (whom they toil to keep the land lush and alive for amongst the other living) would so egregiously betray them. They would take on forms that humanoids would find unconscionable and terrifying, because they were betrayed and now have become enemies. It could almost be seen as an analogue to polluting the land and causing climate change in our current Earth, if one were to stretch. However, I will agree that the rub comes into play when we stop looking at the set in the vacuum and see it in the context that surrounded it; specifically, that the set was out to represent Japanese culture closely and with careful respect *at the same time* that it was attempting to put a spin on it. Evangelion, to take your example, never really sought to *represent* Judeo-Christian religion moreso than harken to it as a baseline. Kamigawa, however, very clearly was also attempting to inure their audience into experiencing an analogue of Japanese culture, which is something that Western peoples had little insight on besides pop culture exports. That subtle difference, I believe, is where the line becomes fuzzy, and it could be considered an overstep by some.
His statement also seems to come out of a place of certain "ignorance".. since That Which was Taken was a part of the veil-Kami, resulting in the Kami that guarded the barrier between both worlds to actively seek it back in order to restore balance. That which we consider "vengeful" might have been simply a more instinctive reaction.
@@Big_Dai Exactly, a bear biting your face off for stealing her cub isn't the bear being vengeful, it's just a natural reaction to your very stupid choice.
Sam, your work is an absolute pleasure to watch. Your tone and the academic precision you bring to this channel... I aspire to be so thoughtful in my passions.
Kamigawa is the set that got me into MTG in the first place, that art and flavour was just so good. I did not see the psychedelic Kami representations as an "issue" for a user. To me, its mysticism definitely was the strength of the set and got my imagination going. Still my favourite set so far, even if I have trouble making its mechanics work well (I'm also not a hardcord MTG player, I almost like the art more than the playing). Great video.
This set is absolutely one of my favorites, and that's in no small part due to the art and the flavortext. This set FELT wartorn and weary, that desperation was intense, more so I feel then any other set before or since
This was a great video, my favorite thing is hearing so many familiar voices reading all that flavor text, very nice touch. Hope it becomes a frequent feature of these videos in the future
I’m actually in love with Sam’s content. The quality in the editing, writing, and voice over are so marvelous, it makes me want to make something this good
Kamigawa was my first set and is still my favourite. I dismanted most of my decks over the years as they lost relevance to me, but not my kamigawa deck. It is how it was back when I started. Thank you for your video.
Every one of your videos inspires so much in me. The reflections and the images that you show and maybe the way you do it is like a journie to find the emotional truth of every one of the subjects you talk about. I love them. Please, never stop.
I never really showed interest in Kamigawa, suffering from exactly the 4 challenges presented in the beginning of this video. This helped bridge this gap somewhat and now I can't wait to dive deep into it's history and lore in order to present this plane to my tabletop players. Thanks for the awesome video and your attention to detail.
I find it hard to express how thrilled I am to see you making these longer videos! I've always enjoyed your specific flavor of MtG videos. Your dives into my favorite parts of the game keep me rewatching your old videos over and again. Can't wait for more! Also, really love the new logo!
You're channel is the only MTG channel I follow anymore because it's the one channel with content I don't already know about i.e. the lore. Kudos to you. I hope to purchase some of your merchandise to support🤙👍
I started playing magic again just as Kamigawa emerged. I loved it, so it was surprising to me that years after so much sentiment was negative. It's great to have such a deep retrospective of the set and its world building, both strengths and weaknesses.
I mean your criticism of the Kami is valid in general. But in lore, in _world_ it also makes sense. Kami, even in Kamigawa didn't used to be such bizzare and otherwordly creatures, they didn't appear in the material world period, just like in OG Shinto. But i can see how the sheer audacity of ripping out a part of the very soul of the world, the kami that embodies Kamigawa wholesale, and forcing it into physical being, thereby opening a never before seen convergence of the spiritual and the physical could twist them to that degree. The whole world is in anguish, the very soul of what the Kami are ripped apart. I imagine that could result in some sort of identity crisis, even for the most passively animistic spiritual beings.
This is insightful and wonderfully done. I have been a fan and defender of Kamigawa all along, it being one of the first sets I attended release events and drafts for.
It'd world and story have such a rich texture, isolated from the rest of Magic by virtue of its source material. But is the better for it in retrospect, in my opinion. The risk was not commercially successful, but it led many to learn more about another culture and history.
For the first time ever, I have official merchandise! Pick up a t-shirt or a hoodie here, and use code STUDIES for 10% off at checkout. Thanks so much for all your support. I'm so excited about this!
www.coalesceapparel.shop/collections/rhystic-studies
Nice, will they ship to Europe?
I bet they will go to china
Yeah, I gotta get some. this video was incredible
@@maiwson We do ship to Europe
Digging the new logo!
"She will be wrapped in shiminawa rope and stand towering above a metropolis of glowing lights, defiantly resisting the fallacy of progress, and embodying the passage of time. She looks like her relatives, the great cedar trees of Japan who, like its people, endure."
Damn dude, that is some beautiful writing. Just incredible stuff. Every time I watch a Rhystic Studies video I come away inspired. What a genuine gift.
Wow indeed.
Beautiful talent, it’s sad that such linguistic arts are giving way to an endless sea of facsimile choreography, further dulling expressions for the sake of illusory social bonds.
I love that line so much: "The world is old. It rewards those who take the time to grow." Excellent episode, this one will stick me
like how kamigawa was considered underpowered at first but then ended up fueling all manner of combo madness after?
Something I love about this era: no Planewalkers, no multi-Planar threat, just pure, striking story-telling about individual worlds and their denizens. Mirrodin, Kamigawa, Ravnica, and Lorwyn are my favorite blocks/eras of MTG for the Vorthos part of my brain. It's nice to return to Kamigawa and its futuristic evolution. :)
Back when the important planeswalkers were the players, and the worlds were crafted for us to play in.
@@GodwynDi I wish it was still like that. I don’t think most people like plane walker cards
@@trexasaurus5322 my uncle used to play from 1993_2004 and he gave me all his kamigawa and Ravnica cards
@@trexasaurus5322 Yeah, I honestly hate planeswalker cards, they’re annoying to deal with
and the entire story was about planewalkers and a multi-planar threat are you happy?
I wanted you to know that your videos manage to transcend the Magic audience. My mother, who was born in Kyoto, absolutely adored this video and praised the accuracy, and attention to detail. She has never once expressed interest in Magic, but she couldn't help but feel enammered with the art and story behind them. Keep up your incredible work, and congratulations on your degree.
I , like many , sold all my cards at the end of highschool and never got back into playing at all... not even sure how i came across this channel.... but it's damn good story telling and I'm always into
a good story well told.
I’m half Japanese, and have been very close to Japan throughout my whole life. Neon Dynasty was the block that started my very recent magic journey, and I’ve been in love with the world of Magic ever since. Trying to make a 5 colour spirit Edh deck has lead me to look through a lot of blocks, but mainly Saviors of Kamigawa. Journeying through and seeing all these cards, Wizards have done such a good job representing and showcasing Japanese culture, and it has made me feel proud, grateful, and more in love with magic. Thanks for making this video man, appreciate it.
Have you ever tried an Iname as One deck? It's my current commander obsession and golgari for spirits feels so appropriate. You end up with a deck that's constantly shifting between life and death, into the graveyard into the battlefield back into the graveyard into your hand and on and on, you get aboard and then in one way or another you keep it as it shifts but the flow of spirits never stops, each with their own little effects and synergies. It's really a lot of fun and actually quite good, just make sure you're very familiar with what all the spirits do because you can end up taking truly annoyingly long turns.
Check it out on EDH rec under the 'spirits' sub archetype, and make sure you get every card that puts your commander from the zone into your hand
When I first read the flavor text on Guardian of Solitude way back, it really put things in perspective. I was going through a difficult time in my life and reading that flavor text was theraputic in a sense. It has stayed with me to this day and reminds me that things could always be worse despite how hopeless it all seems now. Beautiful video.
Glad I saw this. I am going through some dark times my self and this flavor text is beautifully written. Hope things are going well with you!
Oh, the same thing happened to me! I still comming back to that flavour text
Hope you are doing better brother, I kinda hot a rock bottom and am slowly coming back from it myself. Good luck to you.
Weird how words can effect us similarly. I had a seizure and was dead for 7 minutes years ago. Horrifying experience. Not recommend. Was pretty depressed just sifting through cards to take my mind of shit and I re-read this card. Still helps me to this day.
That and Akroma. No rest. No mercy. No matter what.
the flavor text in question:
"It seemed an easy thing, to step into the nothingness, to fall, to die. But then, for an instant, I saw it, eyes filled with endless sorrow, and I turned back to face my pain."
-Snow-Fur, kitsune poet
I love Kamigawa. It was the set my dad had the most of when I was a kid and the art was what brought me in. It's so gorgeous
Art like that is sadly long gone, replaced by the "play now my lord" shovelware aesthetic
I'm sorry for what they did to your beloved plane
B-but... Now we have cuteness overload puppies kittens and other little creatures! And hatsune miku on mtg catd! ......
@@Igor369 Lmao yep...lowest common denominator marketing
@@soarel325 Yeah they will get more money from releasing two sets that each partially cater to two target audiences at once than making one set specifically targetted to one group and one to the other. The more money a corpo has the more they want of it.
*"The world is old. It rewards those who take time to grow."*
Damn, dude. That actually made me tear up. I'm am amateur artist, but there's a reason I don't paint professionally, why I feel like I'll always be an amateur. I'm slow, painfully slow. To give you an idea, there's a piece I'm working on for a friend that's taken me over two years already. And he hasn't exactly been patient. I know he's just excited, but it's still frustrating and depressing...
Part of it is my obsession with details people will never ever notice, like scratches in metal or scuffs in fabric, reflections in tiles. Frankly, it's kind of exhausting which is why I have to take long breaks between sessions. Not helping matters. Despite how many people tell me how amazing they think my work is, it's always been tainted by the knowledge that it probably took way too long to create. Like, a better artist would do it faster.
But that line at the end there. It's the first time I've ever considered that my methodical nature could be an asset. I don't know. That choked me up. I'm probably still too slow, lol. But that was a nice thought. I'll remember that whenever I paint now. Thank you.
As a guy that enjoy art but no ability to make pieces of my own, my words of encouragement might be lacking but i hope you stick with it my dude. I can`t speak for others in terms of what they like to see in art pieces but for me, i find greatness in detail. Some artists spend many years on their pieces and that`s totally ok. Perfection does not exist in an art piece and is only complete once the artist is content with it IMO. Haste makes waste, and i would rather wait many years for a piece with a great eye to detail, as well as something the artist is content with rather than something rushed and made for the masses.
Keep doing you, and there will always be someone to appreciate your efforts. Also, my english is not my first language so have mercy, haha.
"a lot of the music making process happens outside of the studio". be patient with your craft, your passion. most importantly, simply be.
It takes as short or as long as it takes! Don't ever stop expressing your heart!
@@Sun-ng7gj thanks! I actually finished it at the start of this year. I've even tackled a handful of art projects and, finished all of them, since. I've been trying to work on being a little quicker and not going quite so insanely over-the-top detailed with my backgrounds, lol.
@@MarxForever congratulations on a finished piece! Sounds like you are being less critical of yourself and trusting the process more which always is a good thing. May you continue to get more comfortable with your style and produce stellar works of art! I don't know you but I hope you know you are wonderful and loved.
I'll be honest.
It is incredibly hard to do what Kamigawa's artistic and writing direction team did.
I see it as a respectable attempt to incorporate real culture into a game, and I see no problems with it. It was not made with disdain or ill-intent, nor was it made to simply sell cards. They portrayed a world, a conflict, different ideologies and characters, and it shows.
And even if they failed in representing it truthfully, even if they fail to convey the intricacies of its real life inspiration... they tried to.
And in these cases the "intent" is the most important aspect.
I can imagine that a lot of kids probably searched or looked-up a lot of these creatures'/objects' inspirations and probably learned something new.
At the end of the day, I'll ask this question: "If it had not been made, would we have lost something of good value? Or would we instead recognize that this worthy of making, despite its flaws and misconceptions?"
Most of the time the answer is yes. We would have lost something.
Because even if we are given a partial or wrong answer about a given topic, if it motivates us to learn more and find out more for ourselves, then it means it sparked something inside of us.
I appreciate this comment and I agree with you entirely. I hope that came through in my video.
@@RhysticStudies I just thought it worth saying. :)
One thing that I feel your video could've benefitted in its "argument" is ending on a slightly more emphatic final note of what I wrote above.
Because I truly believe that there is nothing better than imitation with good intentions.
Also the Japanese themselves have never shied away from representing other cultures, no matter how incorrect their depiction was.
Hell, American and European culture was one of the great fascinations that Japan obsessed, and still obsesses to this day.
And they emulated lots of it in media and every day life.
Fun fact for you (in case you don't know) Christmas is celebrated in Japan. How do they celebrate Christmas Eve?
It's basically a sort of Valentine's day equivalent so they offer presents to their loved one.
And their tradition is to also eat KFC. No joke. :P
Such powerful design and presentation for a simple 1/1 creature with no effect. Back then I was only a child, but I still wondered why there was so much care put into such a weak card. Years later, I watched Mushishi and I finally understood
I grew up in a small town far away from big box stores and game shops. My introduction to Magic was building, battling, and breaking down decks from a few boxes of bulk commons my brother brought home from a trip to Alaska. I remember buying my first pre-constructed deck from a shop in Berkeley about a year after I started playing, it was the Ninjas deck from Betrayers. Through the films of Miyazaki I was primed to be enchanted by the lore in the Kamigawa block. One such film was Princess Mononoke, which also featured vengeful spirits with heavy inspiration from Shinto tradition. That film holds a special place for me to this day, as does Kamigawa. Both of these pieces of art take liberties with cultural tradition to tell a story, while maintaining enough integrity to immerse us in their mythos. If artists were never to take liberties with cultural tradition I don't think we would have much diversity of tradition, which live primarily through rich storytelling histories. I never felt like Kamigawa made the promise that it was a strict representation of Shinto, and don't think that the use of Kami as a metaphor for nature striking back at the hubris of humans is an artistic mistake unless the story is interpreted literally. We should indeed be cautious on misrepresenting religious traditions, but shouldn't we also be protective of the artistic liberties that birthed those traditions as well?
i'm glad that you were able to offer criticisms of the plane while also celebrating it. that's no easy feat. thanks for the video, sam
Kamigawa was what really pulled me into Magic. I grew up on DBZ (my first TCG), Anime and all the Japanese culture I could. I'm sad it didn't get the love I thought it deserved at the time, but Neon seems like it will make up for it.
I'm guessing you and I are around the same age since I too played the DBZ TCG. I remember in high school that me and my friends were very excited to get a Japanese themed set.
CHEF! I saw you at the live stream. I also see you here. 2 for 2 lol
Kamigawa’s art style was what got me into magic in December 2004. It’s my favorite set flavor wise. So regal, exotic and well crafted.
I came into MTG just before Mirrodin so when they announced Kamigawa as a lover of DBZ and many other anime i was stoked. And my playgroup at the time had no hate for it. It wasn't til i can't back to the game in 2018 and then not till even a couple years after that that i started getting that people didn't like it. Still love it
I think now that they understand how to base a world on real life cultures better, as well as Japanese culture being more well known nowadays, it will work out
Of all Magic sets, the Kamigawa block are the most obvious labor of love. The care, detail and respect the set takes just radiates off the table.
I started playing "Legend-Lander" (it would be years before commander would be codified and become part of the Magic community's general consiousness) during the Kamigawa block's tenure in standard. During a game of Extended, I made an opponent's Sword of Light and Shadow fall off of their creature with Eight-and-aHalf-Tails' ability turning the Sword white, then blocked and killed the attacker. I quickly came to love the card, and my friends and I each decided to build a mono-color Highlander deck around a different Legend from the block. While it's gone through steady changes over the last decade and a half, I've never once taken the deck apart. The deck also survived intact when the rest of my collection was destroyed a few years after I created it. If not for it, my relationship with Magic would be very different, if it would even exist at all. So for that, thank you Eight-O, and thank you, Kamigawa for the memories.
the flavour text of The Wandering Ones is my personal favourite in all of magic
I agree, that was something else
It's an emotional gutpunch.
It legit has me tearing up at 2am
Mirrodin, Lorwyn, Shadowmoor, and Kamigawa have this awesome art style. It’s a good mixture of practical and digital art between the old style of the Dominaria and the new styles of Zendikar/Innistrad.
Those sets are visually amazing. Even the most mundane cards in them make me stop for moment and take it in when I come across one.
"The world is old, it rewards those who take time to grow" is a truly touching and beautiful line. How you can end a video about card game design with such a powerful line is an incredible testament to your skill as a writer.
"The world is old. It rewards those who take the time to grow." Is this from something? Or do I need to site Rhystic Studies when I say this for the rest of my life? Like that is one of those things that just instantly resonated.
All of the quotes featured were flavor text from actual cards.
thank you. I wrote that one.
@@brandonbrooks779 ...except for this one
@@brandonbrooks779 oof
Kamigawa is my favourite plane, old and new. So in love with the Japanese culture, iconography, the flavor text of the old cards… but also the cyberpunk aspect of the Neon Dynasty.
Wow, I'm not sure I've ever been this early before. Then again the little bell rang and said there's a new Rhystic Studies video and I sure wasn't going to miss it.
Yeah this is the earliest I've been
Three things I truly love but we'll never see done properly again.
1) Gory Phyrexian art
2) Oldschool Kamigawa
4) Lorwyn/Shadowmoor
I always loved the feeling kamigawa gave of myself. But I never really knew quite what it was that endeared this set to me in ways none other since could.
But now I realise, it is indeed the feeling of a real and ancient world, it does not feel like this world was created for a card game out of nothing, only to last for a year and then move on to the next story.
It feels OLD, like it has always been there for ages, like it has been lived in and shapen by people. Like a world you can actually step into unlike most others of the fantastical mtg worlds, it feels like a world you can live a life in, rather than one you visit for a few moments before returning to reality.
Thank you for this video.
If this block had been powerful, everyone would praise how good the themes and the designs were.
It's sad how playability triumphs flavor and lore.
@@Big_Dai well, it is a game after all.
@@danacoleman4007Yeah but there's a certain point.
Like, if the spirits had Persist instead if Soul Shift and if the Arcane splicing or whatever had actually efficiently costed cards it would manage to be mechanically and flavor sufficient.
"The world is old. It rewards those who take time to grow."
I needed to hear that today ; thanks.
Sam's superpower is getting me to click on a half hour video, having me think "I'll watch just a few minutes then finish it later," then finishing the whole thing in one sitting. Incredible work!
i appreciate you man. thank you.
Man the opening of this video was like a mix of nostalgia and mystery, fantastic!
The justice that was never done for Kamigawa is now shined upon. Thank you 🙏 I’m sure there was much more you couldn’t fit into the video, but I like this dive into these with you narrating.
I’m not kidding it feels like everything has slowed down around me, like you explained in the forest, when watching your videos.
Being able to slow down and enjoy every detail we overlook on a day to day basis is perfection.
Thank you!
I don't know how you make these videos so hypnotic but they bring a calm I often struggle to find in my chaotic life.
That ancient feeling the block managed to capture was what originally enraptured me. To walk among an old growth is a treasure, a portal through time and space that connects us to millennia past. Some of my favorite cards ever printed were in this block. I'll always remember playing Godo, Marrow-Gnawer, Boseiju, Shirei, and many others. Very entertaining video.
I have a 60 card deck of old Kamigawa cards and my appreciation for them all increased so much after watching this video. Thank you for making this!
"The world is old, and rewards those that take the time to grow."
man, that one hit hard
This set has aged incredibly well. The three blocks of Mirrodin, Kamigawa and Ravnica are arguably the best blocks in Magic history.
“The world is old; it rewards those who take time to grow.”
LOVE that quote.
i dont play mtg arena anymore for like 1,5 years now. but my friend, who i played magic with in end of 90s, early 200s, sent me all his magic cards.
so i was in love with old land arts for the last few days. this new dynasty set coming out. i mean, i have very similar opinions to many new entries of old franchises. they took the new wave theme, that like everybody uses these days for their youtube intros, release videos, and put it into magic :D this is a behaviour of reoccuring "classic" you can notice in the whole gaming industry as well.
Honestly gobsmacked that I could be so emotionally moved by a video about MtG cards. I'm so glad I discovered your channel. This video is a master work
An absolute MTG newbie here, I wish I can get my hands on all the old Kamigawa cards, I'm obsessed with the art.
Your visual storytelling is unmatched in the magic community. Thank you for tirelessly sharing your passion
absolutely appreciate people talking about Eight-and-a-Half Tails, my favorite character in Magic.
Fuck man your videos are so beautiful. The calm timbre of your voice over soft subtle music always create this fireside vibe. And the ending of this one gave me chills. “The world is old, it rewards those who take time grow”
This is the earliest I've ever been to a video. This was fantastic!
As someone who speaks Japanese fluently, thank you for pronouncing Kamigawa (and the other Japanese/Japanese-inspired words) the way you did. It's not perfect, but the way most people pronounce them is like nails on a chalk board to me.
(for anyone curious, in Japanese, a letter is either a vowel sound or a consonant sound followed by a vowel sound. So in "Kamigawa" Ka, mi, ga, and wa are each separate letters (when writing in hiragana, let's ignore kanji because kanji doesn't matter too much when pronouncing words). In Japanese, with one exception, all letters are pronounced the same all the time. In the case of Kamigawa, Ka is like "kah", mi is like "me", ga is like "gah" and wa is like "wah". Mainly what bothers me about how most people who pronounce Kamigawa is how, for some reason, Ka is pronounced like "Kya". Just... no.)
I know I missed on some of the pronunciations here (Eiganjo, for example, even though I knew better), but I did my best without having studied Japanese.
@@RhysticStudies I understand it's counterintuitive in a lot of ways, and I don't expect perfection. I learned Japanese the "easy way" but I've tried learning other languages as an adult, and it is not easy. Even though the way most people pronounce Kamigawa does bother me, I don't mean to hate on anyone. I just appreciate the effort!
Kamigawa is when I started playing competative Magic I think creatively Kamigawa is one of the best sets ever.
I'm so glad we finally have a return to one of my favorite planes. Kamigawa's rich and beautiful setting had me hooked and pushed me to learn more about Japanese history, mythology, and practices.
I totally get the dissonance of have the Kami attacking mortal reality, but I always chocked it up to Konda's actions. Daimyo Konda stole O-Kagachi's immortality for himself. O-Kagachi, being the spirit of all things is tied to all other Kami, and the world itself in every way. If a being so powerful was wounded and enraged, with ever other spiritual being like cell in a body. It wouldn't matter how benign, peacful, or inactive each other Kami was; if O-Kagachi willed it, they would become violent. That's just the take I understood way back when I first read those detailed Planar Pages for Champions of Kamigawa.
O-Kagachi's immortality? That might be wrong..
Kamigawa has always been my favorite plane from a design standpoint. There was always something about the world that stuck with me, and I was always sad that it flopped as hard as it did. This is an excellent video that helps reinforce my appreciation.
What about Neon Dynasty?
@@Big_Dai I think it's rad as hell. My favorite plane, with my favorite arc villains, as a cyberpunk land? I'm sad we're only getting one set!
It was Rei's short story about Eight and a Half Tails that turned me into a vorthos way back in the late 2000s. It's so beautiful - both heavy with import and captivating in style. I'm sad to see their partnership has ended, but kudos for what he's done and will do with Pokémon!
Kamigawa was my first contact with magic, and growing up with many many Manga & Animes, it really laid the foundation for my love & interest in japan & its folklore :)
Only later as a more advanced player i'd discovered that - mechanically- kamigawa wasnt well taken ... but that only increased my love for this set!
Great video. I have to disagree about them overstepping. There is a lack of well-defined depictions of what kami look like, and the drawings that exist tend to vary greatly. This lends itself very well to artists' freedom of interpretation. I personally think they did an excellent job overall, having been given a very difficult task. I think the art in this set is some of the most unique in MTG to this day. This is the set that really got me into the game. Kamigawa was the first time I ever bought a booster box. Now I'm much older and don't even play, but I can't wait to naively open my NEO box and enjoy whatever they've created.
I believe that the kami turning against humans makes sense, the humans did betray them in a profound and terrible way, so its only natural that they'd try to take back what was stolen from them. Also, as far as I know kami do become vengeful if they are disrespected and mistreated, and sometimes evil spirits become kami themselves after being divinized and purified through worship.
Yeah, it's not like Yokai don't exist in Japanese lore..
Even the peaceful Kami sometimes play tricks on humans and screw with them for the hell of it.
Rei Nakazawa always gives interesting commentary. I'd love to hear him talk more about the original Ravnica block.
I don't have time to watch the whole video right now. I just enter, give it a like, and I'll watch it later. I know this is quality content and deserves it before even seeing it.
As someone who appreciates Japanese culture and Magic who was not playing Magic when these sets came out, this is great. You produce some of the best content on TH-cam while also elevating the format.
Rob Scallon / Rhystic Studies is a crossover I never thought I’d see. Literally two of my favorite channels, but never in a million years would I have guessed I’d see Rob’s stuff in one of your videos 😂
the Flavor text on Kamigawa was masterful, poignant and beautiful.
Kamigawa was my first introduction to the game. The artwork on those Forest cards always resonated with me, and to this day I always make sure to include those Forests in my green decks. Most of my appreciation for Old Kamigawa can be attributed to art/flavor/nostalgia. I was hoping I'd feel that way again with the release of the upcoming return to Kamigawa, but unfortunately that isn't the case :[ But thanks for showcasing the spirit of Old Kamigawa the way I remember it :]
You are not alone.
The lack of named characters, people forgetting the prevalence of Kami Magic (Arcane), Aspects of Life and Death.. and a lot of design space dedicated to pieces that could be placed in any other Plane.
Man, I love your videos.
They're always inspiring, and also more or less _taught me_ how to analyse art. Or at least got me into the right mindset of learning how to do so.
Thank you for that, and thank you for your continued output of top tier content. I'm very grateful for it.
Even before I got into anime and japanese culture, Kamigawa's art captivated me as a kid.
That spirit dog thing made of candles always stuck with me for some reason.
Great video!
One thing usually overlooked when people talk about why this set was perceived as a failure; it's the competition when it was released. At that time, one of the other big CCG was Legend of the five rings (L5R), a Feudal Japanese inspired card game. So many people felt it was a New coke move; try to chase the competition when you're number one. I was working at a game store at that time a some people asked what was the diferencie between Kamigawa and L5R. Some of the old L5R sets still in display where published by WotC, and this added a lot of confusion.
I wish you could do a ton of these so I can play a 20 min segment when it's time for bed. Your tone is so methodical and relaxing.
Kamigawa was the first block I really got interested in Magic. It was truly Magical in a sense - different from reality, yet similar enough that it was approachable. Mirridon was cool but it was completely futuristic with few heros and relatable characters. Then in Kamigawa you had people like Takano, Azuela, etc. and it was awesome.
Of all the cards I've seen through over a decade of Magic, the simple blue 1/1 with no abilities is the card that stayed with me. It drives home the settings of the entire block with just a few words, in a way that no legendary spirits ever could.
Thank you for including Wandering Ones in your video, I love that card.
Endlessly masterful. This is another one to come back to down the line, whenever I'm in the mood for a healthy dose of whimsy and lore.
Also, the narration from other content creators and MTG community figures was a really nice touch. I'd love to see more of that in future essays
Fantastic recap! I'm excited for the new set!
The best channel on TH-cam, full stop.
here in brazil, the country with the most concentration of japanese people out side of japan in the world, as far as i know kamigawa had good aproval of mtg players, especially in my city (Curitiba, the city with the second biggest nipo-brazilian population, being São Paulo the greatest), here we have a lot of stores owened by japanese, und the city's popular market half of stores belong to nipo-brazilians, and sell japanese food and decorations, and in curitiba we have 3 festivals (matsuri) every year: hana matsuri (festival of the flower, budah's birthday), imin matsuri (celebration of japanese imigration) and haru matsuri (spring festival)
it's funny to be remebered that only now japanese culture is being more presented to the US
Honestly the allure of Kamigawa set appealed to me YEARS before I ever started playing myself, for reference my first set was og innistrad. My friends always played and the kamigawa artwork/theme really spoke to me. to this day some of my all time favorite cards were from that set.
I have seen a LOT of fantasy worlds using the trappings of traditional Japan- ones created both by the Japanese and by foreigners, and Kamigawa feels the most like someone spent a day with some library books, wrote down some cool-sounding words and what they mean and then used them to paint-by-numbers in a fairly bog-standard fantasy world. I think they did more work than that, but that is still what it feels like.
I also find it so strange that they went with these other-worldly and frightening creatures, calling them kami, when, if that is the aesthetic they were going to go with, then Japanese and Shinto myths have the equally, if not more frightening yokai, who already have intense appearances and lore to draw upon.
I like the guest flavor text readings. Kibler is so dramatic, lol.
Great video. I enjoy these History-Magic crossovers a lot.
This is the set i first got into magic with. i was very young but it was what got me into Japanese folklore and history
I miss the old Kamigawa,
Straight from the soul Kamigawa
i'm trying my kamigawa best, but i just can't seem to get kamigawa fresh :(
Can't wait for the day, many, many years from now, that you upload a video named "The Old New Kamigawa".
Meanwhile Kamigawa is my favorite block from a lore and art style standpoint by far.
I love that when you mention EDH in the context of Kamigawa, all you show is Kodoma's Reach, easily one of my favorite spells to cast, and one that always reminds me of Kamigawa and all the magic and mystery there.
No one does an intro like Rhystic Studies ❤️❤️
Great vid. I disagree re: unnecessary oversteps with regard to having a different take on Shinto, kami, etc. I think that's what prevents it from simply being use of the existing world and culture and more into development of the fantastical, much the same way that Japanese creatives have developed their own narratives and concepts from European folklore and Abrahamic religions. I would be hard pressed to say something like Evangelion even remotely resembles Judeo-Christian practice, but in using it as a baseline it creates its own thing entirely. I think it's a good thing, overall.
I think my disagreement comes from it being regarded as a **worldbuilding** oversight, though I see it as a personal disagreement than an objective one. If the idea of the set, in a vacuum, was "Shinto gone wrong", is it not then sensible for the Kami of this world to act and look different of those in Kamgawa? Sure, on Earth, in our Shinto, the kami are not vengeful - they are those who we should work with to preserve the land itself. But on Kamigawa, they take a much more active role in the preservation of the forces there - so it would make sense that these normally-benevolent and mischievous creatures would become upset when a human (whom they toil to keep the land lush and alive for amongst the other living) would so egregiously betray them. They would take on forms that humanoids would find unconscionable and terrifying, because they were betrayed and now have become enemies. It could almost be seen as an analogue to polluting the land and causing climate change in our current Earth, if one were to stretch.
However, I will agree that the rub comes into play when we stop looking at the set in the vacuum and see it in the context that surrounded it; specifically, that the set was out to represent Japanese culture closely and with careful respect *at the same time* that it was attempting to put a spin on it. Evangelion, to take your example, never really sought to *represent* Judeo-Christian religion moreso than harken to it as a baseline. Kamigawa, however, very clearly was also attempting to inure their audience into experiencing an analogue of Japanese culture, which is something that Western peoples had little insight on besides pop culture exports. That subtle difference, I believe, is where the line becomes fuzzy, and it could be considered an overstep by some.
His statement also seems to come out of a place of certain "ignorance".. since That Which was Taken was a part of the veil-Kami, resulting in the Kami that guarded the barrier between both worlds to actively seek it back in order to restore balance. That which we consider "vengeful" might have been simply a more instinctive reaction.
@@Big_Dai Exactly, a bear biting your face off for stealing her cub isn't the bear being vengeful, it's just a natural reaction to your very stupid choice.
@@ArceusShayminThat "some" would be a sad bunch of losers and weebs. The set was popular in Japan and that's all you need to know.
Your videos are so mindful and serene that they always feel like a personalized gift. Thank you
26:22 That would be a cool flavor text
It brings me great joy to see a long Rhystic Studies video on my feed.
11:34 MY FAVORITE CARD OF ALL TIME! I’m so glad they made it in the video
the last line got me very emotional. Your video are as great as ever if not better.
I absolutely love different magic creators narrating the flavour text for cards.
Perfect timing! Something to listen to while I finish unpacking in my new dorm
Sam, your work is an absolute pleasure to watch. Your tone and the academic precision you bring to this channel... I aspire to be so thoughtful in my passions.
Kamigawa is the set that got me into MTG in the first place, that art and flavour was just so good. I did not see the psychedelic Kami representations as an "issue" for a user. To me, its mysticism definitely was the strength of the set and got my imagination going. Still my favourite set so far, even if I have trouble making its mechanics work well (I'm also not a hardcord MTG player, I almost like the art more than the playing). Great video.
This set is absolutely one of my favorites, and that's in no small part due to the art and the flavortext. This set FELT wartorn and weary, that desperation was intense, more so I feel then any other set before or since
This was a great video, my favorite thing is hearing so many familiar voices reading all that flavor text, very nice touch. Hope it becomes a frequent feature of these videos in the future
Thank you Sam, as always. I look forward to digging into this video! Your hard work is recognized.
I hope there will be a time travel storyline to get back to this plane’s era. I miss this aesthetic. It’s truly gorgeous.
Also I wish you had explained the Kirin. Those have one of the most majestic arts ever done on a creature cycle.
I’m actually in love with Sam’s content. The quality in the editing, writing, and voice over are so marvelous, it makes me want to make something this good
Kamigawa was my first set and is still my favourite. I dismanted most of my decks over the years as they lost relevance to me, but not my kamigawa deck. It is how it was back when I started. Thank you for your video.
Every one of your videos inspires so much in me. The reflections and the images that you show and maybe the way you do it is like a journie to find the emotional truth of every one of the subjects you talk about.
I love them. Please, never stop.
I never really showed interest in Kamigawa, suffering from exactly the 4 challenges presented in the beginning of this video. This helped bridge this gap somewhat and now I can't wait to dive deep into it's history and lore in order to present this plane to my tabletop players. Thanks for the awesome video and your attention to detail.
I find it hard to express how thrilled I am to see you making these longer videos! I've always enjoyed your specific flavor of MtG videos. Your dives into my favorite parts of the game keep me rewatching your old videos over and again. Can't wait for more! Also, really love the new logo!
thank you so much!
You're channel is the only MTG channel I follow anymore because it's the one channel with content I don't already know about i.e. the lore. Kudos to you. I hope to purchase some of your merchandise to support🤙👍
I started playing magic again just as Kamigawa emerged. I loved it, so it was surprising to me that years after so much sentiment was negative. It's great to have such a deep retrospective of the set and its world building, both strengths and weaknesses.
I mean your criticism of the Kami is valid in general.
But in lore, in _world_ it also makes sense.
Kami, even in Kamigawa didn't used to be such bizzare and otherwordly creatures, they didn't appear in the material world period, just like in OG Shinto.
But i can see how the sheer audacity of ripping out a part of the very soul of the world, the kami that embodies Kamigawa wholesale, and forcing it into physical being, thereby opening a never before seen convergence of the spiritual and the physical could twist them to that degree. The whole world is in anguish, the very soul of what the Kami are ripped apart.
I imagine that could result in some sort of identity crisis, even for the most passively animistic spiritual beings.
I would like to thank you for your work. It it so loving, mindful, respectful and poignant. 💔
This is insightful and wonderfully done. I have been a fan and defender of Kamigawa all along, it being one of the first sets I attended release events and drafts for.
It'd world and story have such a rich texture, isolated from the rest of Magic by virtue of its source material. But is the better for it in retrospect, in my opinion. The risk was not commercially successful, but it led many to learn more about another culture and history.
This was incredible, goosebumps and shivers granted through excellent narration and even better research, writing, and connection