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Takamiz Usui: The Cube Plus Reviewed

One DVD, 2 sets of gimmicks, 20 minutes and $40 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.

Effect

Two mixed up Rubik's Cubes are sitting on the table. You ask two different spectator's to each name a color (i.e., one of the six on the Rubik's Cube). Two colors are freely named (e.g., blue, red). The two cubes are placed into a paper bag. When dumped out, the two named colors are the only colors solved on the cube (i.e., cube #1 has blue solved and cube #2 has red solved).

Method

The method is super simple and requires very little skill. It will relies on a gimmick and a little bit of sleight of hand skill. It's pretty easy, and the gimmicks are supplied. However, you will have to suply your own cubes. I'd recommend the YJ GuanLong. It's $4.00 bucks, and moves like butter.

So if you supply the two cubes, put in a little practice and use the super simple (supplied) gimmick you'll be able to do this effect in no time.

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy is accurate. You may notice, however, that in the trailer they show three cubes. This is for a kicker effect that you could do if you wanted. It was not shown on the ad trailer, and is not taught on the DVD. Just know that the effect only requires two cubes, not three.

The kicker effect is talked about on the DVD. It's another marketed effect from the same creator. It's the predecessor to this one. First was The Cube, and now we have this second one, The Cube Plus. The first one (The Cube is the kicker ending that you could add to this effect (The Cube Plus). To their credit, they did not show the kicker in the trailer. Considering the fact that it's not taught on the DVD, this was a smart and ethical move on their part. They are to be commended for that.

Product Quality

The lighting and DVD quality were a bit rough. Further, the instructions were spoken in Japanese with English subtitles. It was a bit hard to follow. I fell as though I had an advantage. First, I had recently watched Cube 3 which uses similar techniques, and I'm already a "cube guy" (i.e., I own several cubes, and I'm a speed solver). Even with those advantages, it was a little fast paced and tricky to keep up with everything going on, but it's doable.

Also, there was a section at the end of one of the teaching segments where he continued speaking in Japanese, but there were no subtitles. I have no idea what was said or if it was useful/important.

The supplied gimmicks are excellent quality, and the instructions for setting up your cube are super easy and super clear.

Final Thoughts

To me, this feels more like part of a routine, rather than a routine itself. That, of course, is only opinion. However, I would say that my opinion is somewhat backed up by the fact that even they (on the DVD) included it as part of a whole routine rather than a stand alone. They didn't teach the other part of the routine, as mentioned, since it's a separate marketed product.

If you already have some cube stuff in your repertoire, this might be a decent addition to it, but again, that's all opinion you'll have to work out for yourself. For me and my standard (ad copy, method and product quality), I find that you get exactly what they say you get, and they teach it resonably well. The DVD had some minor issues, and the price is a little steep for what you're getting, but all in all, this is solid.

Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of gem