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By Carol Driver
'Great experience': Rebecca Flint dances in 'cosplay' as Beckii CruelA British schoolgirl is set to top the charts in Japan after her YouTube clips became an internet sensation.
Rebecca Flint - a 14-year-old who calls herself Beckii Cruel - releases her debut album today to much excitement in the land of the rising sun.
Her webpage is the second most subscribed by music fans in Japan and she has already performed live in Tokyo.
Rebecca, from the Isle of Man, first came to attention on YouTube where millions watched her dance to J-Pop (Japanese pop music) and the theme tunes of anime cartoons.
She appears in hundreds of clips dressed as Japanese cartoon characters.
In one, Rebecca, who claims friends describe her as, 'That weird girl who's famous in Japan', said: 'I am amazed how many viewers I have got.
' I love you all. I’m so excited.'
Her album is expected to go straight to number one after it was produced by Tokuma Japan - one of the country's biggest publishers.
They have teamed Rebecca with an 18-year-old French student known as Sara Cruel and a 16-year-old student from Portsmouth called Gemma Cruel.
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Hit: Rebecca is an internet sensation after posting her dance clips on YouTubeThe daughter of a policeman and a dance instructor, Rebecca is thought to be popular because she has big eyes, a small face and slender limbs – similar to the cartoon characters.
Her father, Derek, said it was ‘great experience’ for Rebecca.
He added: ‘So far it's been a tremendous adventure, not many teenage girls get to travel across the globe and have this sort of exposure.
‘We've brought our children up with the internet, they've always had access to it.
Fanbase: The teenager's features are similar to the Japanese cartoon characters‘Rebecca is well aware of the online dangers; she's been well advised and has told us when there have been problems.
‘This is just a bit of fun, dancing to Japanese culture.’
Experts say Rebecca will be admired from afar from boys afraid of rejection because she fits the category of a ‘moe’ idol.
The teenager first became interested in anime and manga when she was 11 and picked up a translated copy of Fruits Basket, a Japanese girls' manga series.
Dressing up in ‘cosplay’ – wearing a favourite anime or manga character’s outfit and teaming up with friends – is also popular in Japan, with thousands of students attending conventions all over the country.
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