Magic Tricks

Sometimes you want chicken. But what kind of chicken? Sometimes, you're in the mood for barbeque. Other times, rotisserie. Still other times, fried chicken. They're all chicken, but if you get chicken salad when you wanted baked... well, it might taste good, but it's not what you wanted.

Now, let's take this analogy and compare it to Torn and Restored tricks. Sometimes, you want to do a TNR. But what kind of effect are you going for? Do you want to do a really slow deliberate TNR? Maybe something supervisual? Or maybe you want a quicker TNR... one that can be restored in a quick fashion? Well, my friends, Butterfly Torn is the KFC of TNR.

This trick... when I saw it, I had to get it. You see, I love chicken. Oh wait... TNRs. So I've amassed a little collection of TNRs. There's something about them that seem a little extra magical for me because, with a good TNR, all the pieces appear to be in view the entire time. But when you have a variety of the same trick, which do you do? Well, to go back to my analogy, if I've been eating nothing but BBQ chicken for 5 weeks, I might want to switch to fried. So, welcome to my life, Butterfly Torn.

The thing that sets this TNR apart from others is the seemingly simplistic and QUICK restoration. I'm used to the whole adding a quarter of the card at a time... doing it really slowly, dramatically. But that's where this one is diffent... you tear it into four and then...

...

wait for it...

...

wait for it..

...

PAPOWWWWWWWW!

Just like that, it's restored! All four pieces in your hands at all times... but then one single move and it's totally back together!

So do I like it? Yes!

But only yes when I want my TNR fried, not barbeque.

Don't worry, I'm going somewhere with this.

You see, for me, Butterfly Torn is refreshingly different because I can get to the restore phase quickly. It has it's place. To me, I'd perform this when I want to get in and out. Blow them away and then run. When you want one trick and then say "wow that was fun. gotta go. here's my card. ciao", this is the TNR for you. When you've been doing TNRs every night for 6 months and you're like, "OMG. I can't do this again," this is the TNR for you.

At the same time, sometimes you want BBQ. Personally, I love the whole dramatic "what? no way?" slow moves of a good TNR. I love the buildup, the suspense. So Butterfly Torn is NOT always going to be my TNR of choice. But when it's time, it's time.

Regarding details of the trick, here are some of my observations:
1. Is it well taught? Yes. Yvan takes his time and shows you the trick over and over again.
2. Is it well produced? Yes. It's refreshingly elegant. In fact, I'd say this is one of the most relaxing instructional videos. haha! There's this jazz music that plays throughout. At first, it's too loud compared to his voice... but by the middle, man I was chillinnnnnn' ;-)
3. Are there any bonuses? Yes. He gives you a version with business cards. Pretty cool. Sometimes, you don't want fried chicken but those little pig-in-the-blanket sausage thingies.
4. Is it a simple trick? Yes and no. The principle is simple to understand. But you will definitely need to practice. There's a knack to it, but it's certainly attainable with just a little focused effort.
5. Is the trick worth getting? Yes. If you don't have a TNR in your repretoire, you'll want it. If you do, you'll still want it. This won't necessarily be your go-to TNR, but it could very well be. It just depends on your personal taste.
6. Is this trick convincing? Yes. However, I must say this to be totally honest: at the end of the trick, I personally wouldn't want to give them the card. Yes, it certainly is examinable. But my concern is that the card itself has certain - how should i say this without giving anything away - damage to it that I'd be worried that a spectator who is a smartbutt could kinda figure out at least partly how the trick was done.
7. Is this a fooler? No. Well, maybe. I have to admit as well that when I saw the demo, I did have some suspicions on how it was done, which it turned out I was right... so this is not a magician fooler, I don't think. But it is a nice method to know.
7. Are there variations? Yes. I particularly liked the signed card variation he teaches. It's very impromptu.
8. Is it impromptu? Yes. See the previous question.
9. Is the price right? Yes, it's about right. I wouldn't mind seeing it a little cheaper, but it was worth the current price.

All in all, I say get this, especially if you like TNRs. It might not necessarily be your favorite TNR, but it certainly be one you can use when you need to change it up.

I give this trick 4 stars.

I feel bad about the analogy I used. After all, I'm a vegetarian. (But I used to love chicken)

(By the way, I always try to be honest and straightforward in my reviews, while being respectful to the magician. If you appreciate my reviews, can you please click the "Yes" button below beside the question, "Did this review help you?" It's not like I actually benefit in any way by your clicking it... but it would be nice to see if my reviews are helpful or not. I hope they are. If you ever have suggestions or comments or questions about my reviews, please feel free to leave me a constructive comment. I'm just trying to be helpful. I love the Penguin community and hope that I can someday contribute my own product. :-) Thanks for reading and for any (hopefully positive, but either way, at least kind) feedback