Customer Reviews

Manga Tarot (English and Spanish Edition)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The artwork is gorgeous and while the deck doesn't use much of the symbols traditionally used it still reads easily. The use of symbols of the elements adds an extra layer of meaning to each card providing a little bit of extra insight in the readings. While not entirely appropriate to those new to tarot, I highly recommend it to those with experience with tarot and those who don't mind something this different. Might also suit well to someone tired of the same old symbols and variants of the same traditional images. Different, but lovely.

Riccardo Minetti's concept and Anna Lazzarini's artwork form a superb combination in this comic-book stylized tarot deck. If you can get past the name of this deck, you will be rewarded with an original deck of the Rider-Waite-Smith(RWS) Tarot's tradition. This deck may have been drawn in a manga style, but these are not your usual Big Eyes, Small Mouths characters.

This deck have several traits that I found appealing. First, some of the cards have been renamed:

The Magician --> The Sorceress
The High Priestess --> The Priest
The Empress --> The Emperor
The Emperor --> The Empress
The Hierophant --> The Priestess
Wheel of Fortune --> The Wheel
The Hanged Man --> The Hanged Woman
The Star --> The Stars

This is because of the swapping of traditional male and female roles throughout the Major Arcana and the Court Cards. Also, the numbering of Strength and Justice had been swapped, following Thoth Tarot's tradition. Strength is 11 and Justice is 8.

The Court sort of follows Thoth's labeling, but the gender swapping continues on them.

Page --> Prince
Knight --> Princess
Queen --> King
King --> Queen

However, the artwork and interpretation is still akin to the RWS's tradition.

The artwork is original, deviating from the traditional rendering of the RWS's deck, but following its interpretation. The use of red, blue, green and yellow in backgrounds is interesting. Swords are bluish, Wands are redish, Coins are greenish, Cups are yellowish, and the Major Arcana are assorted with these. It is interesting to note that The Fool is grayed out.

In all this is a great deck for tarot collectors and manga fans. It comes in its own fitting box and includes the usual Little White Book.

Other decks by Anna Lazzarini:
Manga Mini Tarot
LoScarabeo Tarot
Lo Scarabeo Tarot Deluxe

I truly enjoy the artwork. Very vibrant and easy to decipher. The pictures lend themselves to great story telling and it is easy to gleam meanings from the pictures. It is great for any level. Even if you are not a fan of manga, this still should be seriously considered. I gave tons of readings with this deck and 99% easily done. Can't say that with most decks. The lwb is more helpful then the usual fair. If you need a change of pace for readings, this would be it. The artwork isn't overly cartoony and not kidde like. Very level and mature <sensable> level picotgraphy, suitable for any level and, surprisingly age. If you love tarot and art work, this is the MUST HAVE deck.

With LOTS of vibrant imagery, and a FANTASTIC use of color and symbolism, this deck speaks to even new readers. The art is good, and the deck is very forgiving. This is not a very "dark" deck, and will speak fairly directly when read.

I really love the artwork on this deck. It's gorgeous and you can just spend hours looking at each card, meditating on the images. I use this deck for readings on myself on others and it works great! I highly recommend this deck (especially if you love manga).

This deck is a pleasant surprise. Though it's artwork is more subdued than much of the Japanese manga (i.e., exaggerated features, super "kawaii"-ness) - it's faithful enough to manga themes to hold a manga lover's interest. It's also managed to incorporate the "western traditional" Tarot interpretations to a great extent, save for occasional variation which, in my opinion, are creative enhancements and not detracting from the Tarot's traditional meanings. For example, there are some strong female characters in both court and suit cards that were traditionally male (and vice versa). The finely-tuned balance of east-west influences make these cards a very capable and creative divination tool (if you intend to use them that way).

This is a nice deck, although some of the changes made were a little odd. I'd recommend it to a Tarot collector or somebody interested in manga.