Become An Anime Star in Japan

13.07.10 / Anime Cosplay Costumes / Author: admin / Comments: (0)
Tags: Anime Cosplay Costumes

Rebecca records and posts her performances on YouTube.

The results have made her an ­internet phenomenon in Japan, home of the anime cartoon characters she imitates. More than eight million people have watched Rebecca performing as Beckii Cruel, dancing to bouncy J-pop and anime theme songs in the attic of her home on the Isle of Man.

Her success has led publishing giant Tokuma Japan cosplay to sign up Beckii, teaming her with 18-year-old French college student “Sara Cruel”, from Lyon, and a 16-year-old student from Portsmouth known as “Gemma Cruel”. The trio – Beckii Cruel and the Cruel Angels – release their debut album in Japan on Wednesday, when it is expected to reach the top of the charts.

Anime has a huge following in Japan across all sections of society. Taro Aso, a former prime minister, is a self-confessed anime cosplay obsessive, reading up to 20 comic books a week.

“The perceived virtual existence and borderless nature surrounding Beckii are a catalyst for stirring fantasies,” said Toshiyuki Inoue, an IT journalist, summing up the popularity of moe artists.

Kaori Sakurai, a freelance writer, said that the otaku – anime geeks who worship teenagers like Beckii – will often avoid pretty girls in real life, fearing that they would simply dismiss them. But they have been won over by Beckii, who appears as just another fan like them.

Beckii’s popularity in Japan rocketed after her YouTube videos were picked up by popular Japanese website Niko Niko Douga. Her Japanese DVD debut, This is Beckii Cruel: Too Cute to be Real, was released last November and debuted at number eight in Japan’s DVD charts. Beckii, who already features in Japanese TV commercials for chewing gum, performed live for the first time at Akihabara, home of otaku culture in Tokyo, last October.

Beckii’s idea to film herself in “cosplay” – derived from costume play – followed and an internet star was born. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese teenagers indulge in “cosplay”, with conventions regularly held around the country. Tokyo Dome, home of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team, is a regular weekend hangout for teenagers dressed as their favourite anime or manga characters.

Beckii has had her own webpage since she was four – her older brother, Ryan had his at six. Ten years on from setting it up with her father, who says he has educated his daughter on the dangers of the internet, she now has the second most subscribed website among Japanese school uniform musicians. The expectation surrounding the release of her album this week suggests her incredible rise to fame shows no signs of slowing down.

Anime usually refers to a style of animation originating in Japan, influenced by the manga style and typically featuring characters with large eyes, big hair, exaggerated facial expressions and elongated limbs.