The Amazing Shoji has been posting his magic tricks on Instagram since the summer of 2020. The student loves performing the coin "matrix", a close-up magic trick with coins laid out flat on a table that does not involve any gimmicks. He is a pro at making large coins vanish in the blink of an eye and travel invisibly from place to place; a type of coin magic performance inspired by late magician David Roth.

In one Instagram video (follow him @shojimagic), the 9-year-old magician bites a coin in half and then magically puts it back together like it never even happened. He calls this trick “Bitcoin” , which is a pun based on the popular digital currency. His little sister often makes appearances in his videos (which are equally adorable) and has even taken a shot at learning magic tricks.

In this video below I walk you through his appearance with added commentary and insights based on my experience with auditioning for the show, as well as my over 30 years of experience performing mind reading, magic, and mentalism.

And you can watch me as I tear up a little, much to my own embarrassment.  But what can I say?  This show sometimes softens the grumpy old grandpa in me...