Never heard of “Beckii Cruel“? Then you’re probably no fan of anime and Japanese pop music.

The Isle of Man 14-year-old, known to friends there as Rebecca Flint, is the latest YouTube sensation in the land of anime, The Observer reported this weekend. What’s the appeal? Viewers have tuned in over 8 million times to watch Flint in her parents’ house, dancing in knee socks and bright outfits to bad Japanese pop music.

“Her success,” the newspaper writes, “has led publishing giant Tokuma Japan 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.”

To be sure, this is not Susan Boyle, last year’s big YouTube “discovery.” But then who are we to judge?

Still, it’s worth pointing to an inevitable truth: YouTube has the power to break the next big thing, how ever fleeting the act may be. Flint is only the latest YouTube-grown talent to be bankrolled by a major corporation. Boyle, as we recall, landed a multi-album record deal from Sony Music after racking up over 100 million YouTube viewings. And remember Matt Harding? His wacky “Where the Hell is Matt?” globe-trotting dance routine was the big YouTube hit of 2008, enough to land him a corporate sponsor, Cadbury’s Stride Gum.

Okay, maybe watching a skinny teenage girl dancing awkwardly to screechy pop music has limited corporate appeal for Western brands. But then Flint is something of a bankable commodity. Her DVD, This is Beckii Cruel: Too Cute to be Real, “was released last November and debuted at number eight in Japan’s DVD charts,” The Observer reports.