Based off this official recruiting video, the total budget of this project can be projected to be somewhere around ¥1,000-¥2,000. (Video by YouTube user arcoo515)

Recent times have been tough on the 'idol' industry, as mainstream consumers no longer seem slavishly devoted to throwing large quantities of money at marginally talented, moderately attractive young women herded together in large groups. Those behind the business, however, are busy working on a solution: organize the glut of young women hoping to become stars into a shrill singing collective, and throw them to the otaku wolves of Akihabara. The intitial result of this brainstorm was the unequivocal success of AKB48.

But how do you top 48 idols centered in the city's most questionable subcultural neighborhood? Production company Sky Star is taking up the challenge with its brand new HRJK96 -- a whopping 96 young ordinary women, organized around youth fashion mecca Harajuku.

As Cyzo explains, HRJK96 will be comprised of idols, singers and aspiring actresses. And an HRJK96-exclusive theater -- just like the AKB48's -- is being planned for the Harajuku neighborhood.

The video above is the first attempt to bring together the necessary eight dozen girls aged 11 to 23 -- evidently by using production values so low that candidates will feel obligated to join up out of pity.

Representatives from the agency Sky Star told Cyzo that rather than AKB48, they are trying to create a new version of the Onyanko Club. This makes a certain amount of sense, given that AKB songs like "Sakura Hanabiratachi" ("Cherry Blossom Petals") just don't have the edge of Onyanko Club's 1985 classic ditty of jailbait love "Serafuku Wo Nugasanaide" ("Don't Make Me Take Off My Sailor Suit").

With around 24 members recruited, HRJK96 just needs 72 more to get started. Quality control is always a problem with idol syndicates  -- given this tall an order, expect things to go to new extremes of homeliness.