'Imported' idols win Japanese fans

LONDON--In a feat of reverse exchange, the latest Japanese cultural export is being reimported with a foreign twist.

It is the "moe idol," a female with the budding innocence of certain characters in the world of anime. A moe idol possesses a nymph-like quality that makes her the object of admiration or fixation by male fans.

Now comes Beckii Cruel, a 14-year-old resident of Britain's Isle of Man who is gaining popularity in Japan among moe fans.

Web videos of her dancing to bouncy J-pop and anime theme songs have been viewed more than 6 million times on YouTube and other websites.

Testimony to the spreading influence of Japan's anime subculture, the innocent mystique surrounding the foreign moe idol has grabbed the attention and imagination of many Japanese anime geeks.

With her small face, large doe-like eyes, and long, slender limbs, Beckii looks pretty much like the girl next door.

She's pretty, but approachable, without the aura of someone with superstar celebrity status.

When we caught up with her here last fall at London's Heathrow Airport as she was preparing to leave for Japan, Beckii seemed surprised to learn that a girl living on an island with only about 80,000 people could become adored by fans thousands of kilometers away.

The daughter of a policeman and a former dance instructor, Beckii said she first became interested in Japanese cartoons and comics three years ago when she picked up a translated copy of "Fruits Basket," a Japanese girls' manga created by Natsuki Takaya.

Since then, she has been voraciously reading Japanese comics and viewing anime clips on the Internet.

It wasn't long before she decided to record videos of herself dancing to anime themes in the attic of her home.

Last fall, she released her first DVD: "Kawaii Nimo Hodo ga Aru" (Too cute to be real). She makes her singing debut in Japan next month with the release of a CD.

Toshiyuki Inoue, a journalist who covers the information technology beat, sums up the popularity of moe artists like Beckii: "The perceived virtual existence and borderless nature (surrounding her) are a catalyst for stirring fantasies."

Freelance writer Kaori Sakurai said that the otaku (geeks) who worship subculture madonnas often in real life tend to avoid pretty girls, who would simply write them off as "gross."

Beckii wins them over by projecting herself as just another fan of anime songs and anime, just like they are.

Other anime idols from abroad are also making inroads in Japan.

Himeka, a Canadian woman who covers anime theme songs, has released two singles featuring tunes such as the closing theme of the popular "Tegami Bachi" (Letter bee) anime series.

She said she was first drawn to Japanese anime by "Sailor Moon," the anime series based on manga by Naoko Takeuchi, and other cartoons available overseas on DVD or the Internet.

Neko Jump, a pair of 20-year-old Thai twin sisters, made its debut in Japan late last year, with songs from the "Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu" anime program.

According to Go Shukuri of King Record Co., which released Neko Jump's single, foreign singing and dancing artists present "a warped image of Japanese 'moe' culture, as well as a different perspective of the phenomenon from the Japanese.

"Those differences create a new subject for moe (affection)," he said.