One idol group dominates the poll by taking all five top slots.
In Japanese, idol singers are simply called aidoru, the corrupted pronunciation of the English “idol.” There’s no need to verbally specify that they’re vocalists, which cynics would argue is because musical talent is never the only, and sometimes not even the primary, way by which idols attract their fanbases.
The most popular idols owe their success to their ability to radiate a persona and atmosphere that makes fans want to cheer them on, and a big part of that is being eminently photogenic. So once a year, Japanese radio program Recomen polls its audience for its Female Idol Face-Only General Election, asking them to vote for their favorite idol based strictly on her facial features. This year’s results were announced on Wednesday, and below are the top 10.
10. Sayaka Yamamoto (626 votes)
AKB個別握手会&ステージイベント
— 山本彩 (@SayakaNeon) June 10, 2018
お越し下さった皆様
ありがとうございました🤝🎤!!
ソロのステイべは今日が最後で
寂しいですが( ; _ ; )
弾き語りなど温かい声が多くて
やって良かったなぁと
嬉しくなりました(๑ó⌓ò๑) pic.twitter.com/4gG821tiHp
Osaka-born Yamamoto, leader of Osaka-based idol unit NMB48, tumbled quite a few slots from her fourth-place finish in last year’s poll, but still managed to cling to a spot in the top 10.
9. Yuka Sugai (656 votes)
表紙の帯あり/帯なし両方公開!
— 菅井友香1st写真集 フィアンセ【公式】 (@yuuka_paris) May 25, 2018
”清楚感””お嬢様感””帯コメント”どれも大好評で感激です😊
菅井友香1st写真集「フィアンセ」
6月5日(火)発売!
●Amazon https://t.co/OvWDVRFAO9
●楽天 https://t.co/MJsrQXttZ8
●セブン https://t.co/tM7ocjuh2Q#菅井友香 #写真集 #フィアンセ #欅坂46 #パリ pic.twitter.com/0mT2Jrdkn0
Sugai hails from Keyakizaka46, itself a sister group of Nogizaka46, which was specifically formed to be the official rival of AKB48, Japan’s most famous idol group (though all three units share the same producer).
8. Yui Yokoyama (710 votes)
https://twitter.com/yui_yoko_gazou/status/1007182229204692993Speaking of AKB48, despite being practically synonymous with the Japanese idol industry, the group only managed one representative in the top 10, Yokoyama, who at 25 is tied with one other idol as the oldest highlighted here.
7. Jurina Matsui (1,150 votes)
やっぱり、応援することは楽しいし
— 松井珠理奈(ハリウッドJURINA) (@JURINA38G) June 5, 2018
いつも応援してくださっている皆様の気持ちがわかるような気がして嬉しいです✨
本当にありがとうございます❗❗
ドラゴンズファンの皆様からも、「1位になってね!」と声をかけていただきました💙
さらに燃えますね🔥
それでは、もうひと頑張りしてきます💪💕 pic.twitter.com/8Few1Vk3rz
Like Yokoyama, Matsui is the sole top-10 representative of her idol unit, Nagoya’s SKE48. A passionate sports fan (she’s sporting a T-shirt for the Dragons, Nagoya’s local pro baseball team, in the photo above), she almost won last year’s contest, when she finished second.
6. Yuri Ota (2,412 votes)
【ジャーバージャ】
— 太田夢莉 (@yuuriso_1201) June 3, 2018
様々なイベント
来てくださった皆様
ありがとうございました!!
話せるのも笑えるのも
うれしすぎて…🤢
何より健康が一番ですね💊 pic.twitter.com/WFBwmHkSAq
At 18 years old, Ota is the youngest singer in the top 10, and also a member of Osaka’s NMB48. She’s also the last idol in the top 10 not from the group that dominated this year’s rankings.
5. Ayane Suzuki (2, 480 votes)
皆さんこんにちは。
— 鈴木絢音 (@ayanesuzuki_) May 20, 2018
知らぬ間にフォロワーさん200人超えてますね。
ありがとうございます✨
絢音ちゃん頑張りますよ!!
鈴木絢音でした。 pic.twitter.com/8qfffwsJFy
Starting off Nogizaka46’s occupation of the top five slots is Suzuki. A native of Akita Prefecture, often said to be the home of Japan’s most beautiful women, Suzuki’s finish at number five is especially impressive considering she didn’t even crack the top 20 in the previous poll, despite having been active as an idol since 2013.
4. Asuka Saito (2,501 votes)
皆様!『潮騒』が15刷になりました!
— 【公式】齋藤飛鳥写真集【潮騒】 (@gentosha_asuka) April 16, 2018
なんと、10ヶ月連続重版だそうです…!
飛鳥さんの勢い、とまらんぜですね😀
これからも、『潮騒』をよろしくお願いいたします😍#潮騒 #齋藤飛鳥 #乃木坂46 #あしゅ pic.twitter.com/MOKxBKKii4
Fellow Nogizaka46 member Saito also had a significant, though less dramatic rise in the rankings, rising six spots from her 10th-place ranking a year ago.
3. Miona Hori (2,972 votes)
乃木坂46・堀未央奈1st写真集公式です。11月24日発売!ご予約はこちらから→https://t.co/OlsvOeFzYm 楽天限定特典付き→https://t.co/LmpYFinJUI セブンネット限定表紙→https://t.co/P4fXmK4z9J pic.twitter.com/aG1VHB3R6g
— 堀未央奈1st写真集「君らしさ」【公式】 (@miona_book) October 25, 2017
Nogizaka46’s Hori released her first photo album back in the fall, but her third-place finish in the poll suggests that there’s probably plenty of demand for a second.
2. Kotoko Sasaki (4,104 votes)
#佐々木琴子 さんは「顔だけ」じゃない、なんてファンの皆さんならよーく分かってる事だと思いますけど、実は素晴らしい美脚の持ち主でもあります😳スラっとしている伊織ちゃんと並んでも遜色ないスタイルの良さは間違いなくモデル向き😍 pic.twitter.com/TwtQKIbyg2
— 芋(KTK大好きおじ)さん⊿🌏 (@east_sefuri) June 13, 2018
Sasaki (once again from Nogizaka46) moved up one spot compared to last year, and with a sizable margin over Hori. However, she couldn’t muster quite as many votes as…
1. Mai Shiraishi (4,224 votes)
現在発売中の雑誌フライデーホワイトで、白石麻衣さんが表紙・巻頭を飾っています!
— 白石麻衣写真集パスポート【公式】 (@mai_westcoast) March 3, 2018
写真集『パスポート』と同じスタッフさんで撮影されたグラビアがとっても美しいので、要チェックです!😊😊😊😊https://t.co/jytdoafq7J#フライデーホワイト pic.twitter.com/gSxBsmo90A
For the second year in a row, voters awarded Nogizaka46’s Shiraishi with the top honor. Shiraishi is popular enough to have acquired two nicknames (“Maiyan” and “Shi-chan”), and also to have this brief video of her pretending to give the viewer some Valentine’s Day chocolate rack up well over 400,000 views.
▼ Shiraishi was born in Gunma Prefecture, just like another charming popularity poll winner.
白石麻衣写真集『パスポート』発売1周年&28万部突破を記念して、白石さんからみなさんに一足早いバレンタインプレゼントです!😍😍😍😍#ハッピーバレンタイン #寸劇 pic.twitter.com/2NPZvpiXzs
— 白石麻衣写真集パスポート【公式】 (@mai_westcoast) February 10, 2018
▼ Nogizaka46’s top-five finishers
https://twitter.com/megu_nogi_46/status/1006914378220781568Given how crowded the idol industry is, as well as the premium fans place on fresh-faced youthfulness, the 25-year-old Shiraishi’s back-to-back victories are all the more impressive, and odds are we’ll see her again at or near the top of next year’s poll.
Source: Model Press (1, 2) via Otakomu
Top image: Pakutaso
Follow Casey on Twitter, where he still wants to know why aliens come down and kill everybody in that one AKB48 music video.
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