Is the Fushigi Ball Really Worth $19.99? Will it Defy Gravity?

I am a sucker for cool advertising, and like thousands of others, when I saw TV ads for a ball claiming to defy gravity I was pretty pumped up on owning one. It is called a Fushigi Ball, and this mystifying ball managed to capture the hearts of thousands, and of course the wallets of thousands more.

Now kids, you will be disappointed, and parents, even more so for flipping out that kind of money on a frigging ball. After all, that is exactly what it is. Do not expect this ball to fly in the air on its own, or to defy gravity as it seems to do in many ads.

This ball is an art form, which requires practice, patience, and more practice and patience before you can even begin to mystify anyone. That is, if you even have the patience for it.

I knew all this before asking for one this past holiday. I knew this ball was not going to hover around like some sort of alien spacecraft. However I kept thinking back to when I first became intrigued by the art form of contact juggling, when I saw David Bowie doing it in the flick Labyrinth when I was a kid.
For years I had always wanted to learn how he seemed to have his ball charmed to dance across his body and hands. I picked up Chinese metal balls with the jingly chime in them. Sadly the chime balls came with no instructions or DVD on how to use them, so I would simply sit them together and spin them in my hand. I had no clue I had mastered one simple contact juggling technique at the time, but apparently I had.

I asked for the Fushigi Ball because according to the site where you can watch demo instructions and learn more about the ball, it claimed that the Fushigi was made from acrylic with a round metal ball inside of it, which helps in the illusion of defying gravity.

I didn't get it, but the sales pitch was there, and I felt in order to really go all awesome like David Bowie had, that I would need the Fushigi, that this ball would be the answer to my childhood quest to get a ball to dance at my finger tips.

My Fushigi Ball
 
I was pissed at my Fushigi Ball because the small metal ball located inside of the clear acrylic ball was not perfectly round. Mine had dented spots, flat spots, and was far from being round. I wondered if this error in craftsmanship would throw off my illusions. Before returning it for a new Fushigi Ball I figured I would go ahead and use it first to see if it mattered any.

The Included DVD
 
The DVD that comes with your Fushigi Ball is by far the fastest tutorial I had ever seen. In fact the fast pace demo's sucked, as I had to keep on rewinding them to start over and learn a technique. It is frustrating, especially for beginners.

Having to watch the demos over and over again at the rapid pace it speeds through is annoying, and I was able to find more thorough in depth instructions on YouTube for free.

Did It Work?
 
The golden question on many minds. Does it work. Well folks, yes it does, but considering the target market is geared at children, most kids are going be pretty angry and easily frustrated with their Fushigi Balls. That is simply because the ball does nothing, and the magic and illusion of defying gravity depends all on the flick of the hand, and the patience of the performer. Children, well most I should say, will not have the patience for this one.

Another little tip would be to make sure there is no glass around, or small pets around when you are practicing with this ball. It is heavy, and it falls hard. I imagine if I were to drop this on my tiny dog, he would get very, very hurt. Bare feet as well is not recommended. I found that working sitting in my bed was the best option.

Is It Worth $19.99?
 
No. I would definitely have to say no. Considering the fast paced demo DVD on how to use the ball, and the poor craftsmanship of the metal ball residing in the acrylic ball was so off it was disgusting... no way could I say this one is worth the price, because it is not.