"Neo Change" DVD by Daryl Sato
Suggested Retail USD$20.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 1 Out of 10

"Neo Change", a DVD by Daryl Sato, is... You know what? It doesn't matter what this one is. What matters is what it isn't and what it isn't is worth your money or your time.

Yeah, this is going to be one harsh review and deservedly so.

Here's the video. Watch it. See what you're getting. For once I'll just sit here and keep my mouth shut on the effect. Go. I'll be here when you get back. And I apologize in advance for that slice of your life you won't be getting back.

Okay, let's get to things:

This is not a new color change. Beyond using what amounts to an edge palm to execute a change, this is one of the first things beginners play with when they start doing color-changes. I know I did, I know my friends did, I imagine just about everyone does. That doesn't make it good and certainly doesn't make it new. Simply put, "Neo Change" isn't so "neo".

"Neo Change" isn't different from most other color-changes. According to the ads, it's impromptu, you start and end clean, it can be done with a borrowed deck, the cards can be signed, there are no duplicates, and you can show your hands empty before and after the change. Now tell me... does that not describe an Erdnase change? A Vernon "No-Palm"? Pretty much any other color-change out there? I rest my case.

(Astute researchers of such things will notice I didn't mention the "no palming" feature of "Neo Change" mentioned in the ads. The reason is simple: if you're not going to call gripping a card between the fingers "palming" then I'm not going to call clipping a card between the thumb and palm "palming" either. Sauce for the goose.)

"Neo Change" is also not "ultra-visual". It's barely visual. Want "ulta-visual"? Check out de Souza or Smirnoff or any of the other truly visual changes out there.

One final look at the ad copy, then we'll get to the end of things. The ad says, and I quote, "you WILL (emphasis theirs) perform and even fool yourself watching it in the mirror." "Neo Change" isn't even close to that: there's too much fidgeting, too much movement, too much handling, to even suggest such a thing.

"Neo Change" just isn't worth the money. For the cash, you get a ten minute -- yes, folks, a ten whole minute -- DVD that teaches a single color-change that in itself is weak, taught in somebody's backyard. And that's all you get. No ideas, no variations, no presentations, no nothin'.

After all of that, there is one thing that I can definitely say about what "Neo Change" is: Daryl Sato's "Neo Change" is the perfect example of just how bad magic DVDs have become.

"Neo Change" DVD by Daryl Sato
In a Blink: 1 Out of 10

Material: 1
You get a poorly executed version of color-change. With a DVD that runs all of ten minutes, what more could you possibly get?

Practicality: 1
Look at the requirements of this one and you'll see it's as practical as the vast majority of other color-changes out there. What kills this one? The handling is just horrible. This simply doesn't look good enough to use.

Quality of Production: 1
It's shot in somebody's backyard. Need I say more?

Quality of Instruction: 1
Sato tries to teach the method here and does okay in the attempt, but there's nothing else here. No routines, no ideas, just a color-change. That's as minimalist as it gets and the result is poor.

Presentation: 1
There isn't one. The visuals are blown because of the fidgety handling. Verbal component? None. This simply has nothing going for it.


Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.