Welcome back to another deck review. In the post, I’ll be reviewing the Kawaii Tarot Deck by Lulu Mayo. Check out my last tarot card review here. If you don’t like spoilers then you might want to skip this post or not stare at the pictures below for too long as I will be showing some cards from the deck.
Let me start by saying this isn’t the official Kawaii Tarot. I found this box set at Barnes & Noble in the crafty activity kit area (not sure why it was located in that section). I overlooked this box at first because I thought it was a coloring set or something but after close examination, I realize it was a tarot deck! The illustrations on the cover looked super cute and colorful, and it was on sale for $15 so it seemed like the perfect tarot deck for me! Later, I found out that this wasn’t the original Kawaii Tarot packaging so I searched online and read a lot of reviews to see how the quality compared to the actual deck. From what I read, the tarot cards themselves are the same but the packaging and guidebook are different which I’ll mention down below.
The Kawaii Tarot: Understanding Tarot with the Kawaii Universe Deck was created and illustrated by Lulu Mayo. Lulu is a London-based illustrator who creates cute quirky mysterious creatures, she has created multiple coloring books that you can purchase here.
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this post might be affiliate links. If you make a purchase with the links I provide, I may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.
PROS
– Adorable Kawaii illustrations
– Colorful and bright images
– Semi-gloss finish
– Cute cards that make sense
– Cards shuffle nicely
– Affordable
When you first look at the cards in this deck, it may seem like a lot is going on with bright colors, a lot of details, and a whole lot of kawaii creatures! You would think this deck would be a gimmick or pip deck based on the childlike images but the cards actually correspond with the rules of tarot and make sense! You can tell that the creator took their time to understand the tarot. I don’t think this would be the best beginner deck because if you’re not comfortable analyzing symbols in tarot then I can see this deck being overwhelming to tarot newbies. If you are comfortable reading tarot cards with a lot of details then this deck would be a lovely deck to have in your collection especially if you like kawaii things!
The cards are printed on semi-gloss cardstock which makes shuffling the deck easy as they can slip and glide more. They cause a little bit of a reflection but nothing too annoying which makes the blogger photographer in me very happy. I saw many reviewers calling this a glossy deck but the finish isn’t too glossy so I would consider this deck a semi-gloss, the cards are similar to the cards in the Spoopy Tarot.
The guidebooks in this box set and the original Kawaii Tarot are vastly different. The guidebook in this deck is a coral color that’s a pretty decent size and contains 32 pages. Inside the book, there is a brief introduction, information on tarot, major arcana and minor arcana meanings, and tips on how to read the tarot. The guidebook in the original Kawaii Tarot has a smaller and thicker guidebook which is a blue color. I have seen that both guidebooks offer illustrations for each of the 78 tarot card meanings which is a nice feature.
CONS
– Obnixous packaging
– Not easily accessible
– No way to store cards
– Thin cardstock
– Boring card backing
– Guidebook mishap
– Some of the artwork on the cards aren’t centered
My biggest problem with this deck is the packing. The box is huge which made you think there would be a lot inside or that the cards would be huge or something, however, only 78 cards and a decently sized guidebook were inside. Inside the box, there is a lot of plastic as well which I’m not crazy about. The box could’ve been smaller or they should’ve just kept the original packaging, I actually prefer the original Kawaii Tarot box because it’s pretty cute. Because of the difficult packaging, the tarot cards aren’t accessible so I have to keep my cards in a velvet pouch so that I can easily use them.
The cardstock quality isn’t the best, it’s thin compared to the other Tarot decks I have. I don’t mind this that much as it makes shuffling easier but I know some people like thicker cardstock. The artwork on the back of the cards is lackluster. I mean, I get it, the illustrations on the front side of the cards are super detailed and colorful so it’s a nice balance, the blue is a beautiful shade. They could’ve made the print on the back bigger or the color of the details more vibrant.
There are also some printing mishaps. Some of the cards have artwork that isn’t properly aligned and centered, it’s not too noticeable but I notice little details like this. There is also a printing mistake in the guidebook, on pages 26 and 29 the tarot card artwork repeats.
Overall, I’m happy with the Kawaii Tarot, It’s one of my favorite tarot decks to use! The artwork was a huge selling point for me and besides all the problems I have with this deck, the positives outweigh the negatives. If you want to purchase this deck at a much cheaper price with a different guidebook and no storage box then get it at Barnes & Noble. However, I think the original Kawaii Tarot packaging is really cute and more convenient if you want to store your cards in the box.
You can purchase the Kawaii Tarot deck here (Barnes & Noble)
You can purchase the Kawaii Tarot deck here (Amazon)
Do you have this deck in your collection?
Hi, Michelle. 🙂 Omgosh these tarot cards are the cutest?! I love the whimsical, colorful designs. Thanks so much for sharing these with us, as well as your honest review. I don’t have a tarot deck at the moment (just an affirmations deck from Chani called The Deck of Plenty), but I’ve been thinking of adding a tarot deck to my collection. There are so many great ones out there!
Oooh I never heard of that deck, I’ll have to check it out! You should get a tarot deck, I have a few other tarot deck reviews on my blog if you’re interested. I agree, there is so many beautifull decks out there! ♥