Improve your knowledge of financial trends through idol devotion.

Still got some cash burning a hole in your pocket? That’s so 2017.

Get ready to ring in the new year and the future of Japanese idols with the birth of a new group whose claim to fame is an incredible gimmick, even in the world of strange Japanese idol concepts: Virtual Currency Girls (Kaso Tsuka Shojo / 仮想通貨少女).

▼ Group leader Rara Naruse in her alter-ego “Bitcoin Cash”

persona promotes the new idol group’s debut.

Managed by Cinderella Academy Inc., the group’s official site draws a progression through different types of monetary transactions throughout history, beginning with bartering, then the exchange of physical money, and finally to the beginnings of electronic payments over the internet and the widespread use of smart cards such as Suica in Japan.

Presently, we have reached the advent of digital currencies as well. Over 6,000 varieties currently exist that transcend national borders and take on a role similar to “international legal tenders.” Virtual Currency Girls intends to capitalize on this recent obsession with all things digital by offering all tickets to their live performances and fan goods exclusively through virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The unit’s original lineup consists of eight members, each based on a different type of virtual currency. In descending order of the pictures below, the members and their virtual currency idol personas are:

1. 18-year-old Rara Naruse, Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

2. 16-year-old Hinano Shirahama, Bitcoin (BTC)

3. Age-unreleased Ami Amo, Ethereum (ETH)

4. 22-year-old Suzuka Minami, NEO (NEO)

5. Age-unreleased Momo Aisu, MonaCoin (MONA)

6. 17-year-old Kanako Matsuzawa, Cardano (ADA)

7. 17-year-old Koharu Kamikawa, NEM (XEM)

8. 15-year-old Hinata Kozuki, Ripple (XRP)

Leader Rara Naruse also made the following statement upon the group’s introduction:

“This unit is not here to promote speculation or investment. Out of the numerous existing virtual currencies, we have carefully selected a handful of currencies that are sure to exist in the future in order to broaden the public’s understanding of them using entertainment as our medium. We are still inexperienced but are working hard to study every day and be of help to you, so please look upon us favorably!”

The formation of the group comes at a fitting time after the global Bitcoin mania of the past several weeks. And while we give them credit for their creative spin, we have to wonder whether it would have been more appropriate to appoint a new group of virtual idols, in the style of vocaloid pop star Hatsune Miku (who already literally lives inside computers), to be truer ambassadors for virtual currency.

The luchador-style masks emblazoned with the members’ representative virtual currency symbols are also a bizarre addition to their image.

In any case, you can follow Virtual Currency Girls news and upcoming promotions on their official Twitter account. We’re certainly curious to see how the general public reacts to their debut in the early part of this year.

Source: Kai-You

Images: Cinderella Academy Inc.