Nazo Nazo Playing Cards. Japanese puzzles, games, adventures and… cats, many cats
Portfolio52 is already one of the main international collecting platforms where fans from all over the world can register their collections and trade duplicate decks. A few years ago, an old friend of Max Playing Cards, Alex Chin (Seasons Playing Cards) , took the reins of Portfolio52 to give it greater visibility and expansion. There are several projects that have been promoted from the platform that have also served to finance its improvements. Today I bring you a very special one: NAZO NAZO.
Nazo Nazo is Portfolio52’s 2022 deck. For this occasion, a singular and talented artist has been chosen that, as a reader of Max Playing Cards, you will know perfectly: Jack Brutus Penny. Jack has launched incredible projects full of boundless imagination and love for nature. As soon as you have a first look to the images you realize that this collaboration with PF52 is in the purest style of Jack, full of color, starring anthropomorphized animals, with Japanese inspiration, and with tons of details and secrets to discover. The name of the deck comes from the Japanese term to define a type of word puzzle. In this way, the cards also include hidden words to play with.
The campaign offers three different editions that actually hide a game for the senses. While the faces have similar designs, with variations in color and materials, the backs and tuck cases, as well as some technical features, are different in each one.
The STANDARD (GUEST HOUSE) edition, invites us to enter a typically oriental house represented on the tuck case itself, with die-cut elements, embossing and foiled accents.
Each card shows us a character in its environment, which can be completed with the adjacent cards in an impressive and beautiful setting of the frenetic activity inside the guest house.
The PUZZLE (TATAMI ROOM) edition has a different tuck case, also with die-cut, embossed and foiled elements. The cold foiled cards also offer their own game, with different order and indexes (as well as subtle color changes) to challenge the collector to solve the puzzle and build the huge poster. It also hides the story of the crab and the monkey with a “Where’s Waldo” style game.
The LIMITED (ONSEN) edition is exclusive to Kickstarter. The tuck case invites us to relax in this natural spa and its original design also includes die-cut parts and embossed and foiled details. The cards also include some new elements in the design and color changes, in addition to the details and mysteries of the other editions. To make it more exclusive, this deck will be gilded.
Created with collectors in mind, six decks (two from each edition) can be stitched together to form a panoramic view of the complete Nazo Nazo house.
The decks will be printed by Expert Playing Cards and the campaign reserves new add-ons and surprises to be unlocked during this fun journey.
In addition, the campaign will use part of the profits in social works for the rescue and rehousing of abandoned animals in Japan (where Jack lives).
Do not miss this adventure in Japan and get your own Nazo Nazo by visiting the project website and raising your pledge.
Good luck!