Nogizaka46's Mai Shiraishi tops 'looks-only' Japanese female idol ranking
Female idol group Nogizaka46 member Mai Shiraishi has emerged as the top celebrity in an annual “looks-only” ranking, as last year’s top-ranked Mayu Watanabe (from AKB48) dropped to sixth place.
Hosted by Japanese radio programme “Recommend!”, the annual contest ranks female Japanese idols based solely on their looks.
In its fifth year running, the ranking has seen the female idols from the two rival entities, “48” and “46” groups dominating the top spots.
Nogizaka46 is produced by Yasushi Akimoto as the official rival to the popular AKB48 (which was also produced by Akimoto). Both groups also have other sister groups which share their numbers, such as SKE48 and Keyakizaka46.
This is the first time a member from the “46” team has taken first place in the five years that the ranking has been in existence.
Apart from Watanabe topping the ranking last year, Jurina Matsui from SKE48 won in the third year, AKB48’s Haruka Shimazaki in the second and Watanabe again placed first in the inaugural ranking.
The 24 year-old Shiraishi is also the youngest model for Japan’s women’s fashion magazine Ray since 2013.
Some netizens have commented that it is only natural for Shiraishi, who is nicknamed Maiyan, to top the ranking.
Others feel that they cannot accept the results, and doubted whether the ranking, voted by listeners of the radio programme, is truly based on looks only.
Nogizaka46 draws their name from the SME Nogizaka Building, which houses Sony Music Japan’s office.
Producer Akimoto has also said the 46 part of the group’s name was a direct challenge to AKB48.
The top 20 idols in this year’s rankings are as follows:
1st: Shiraishi Mai (Nogizaka46)
2nd: Jurina Matsui (SKE48)
3rd: Kotoko Sasaki (Nogizaka46)
4th: Sayaka Yamamoto (NMB48)
5th: Yui Yokoyama (AKB48)
6th: Mayu Watanabe (AKB48)
7th: Nanase Nishino (Nogizaka46)
8th: Iori Sagara (Nogizaka46)
9th: Miona Hori (Nogizaka46)
10th: Asuka Saito (Nogizaka46)
11th: Yuka Sugai (Keyakizaka46)
12th: Kamata Natsuki (SKE48)
13th: Yuri Ota (NMB48)
14th: Kaori Matsumura (SKE48)
15th: Rika Watanabe (Keyakizaka46)
16th: Sayuri Matsumura (Nogizaka46)
17th: Erika Ikuta (Nogizaka46)
18th: Neru Nagahama (Keyakizaka46)
19th: Risa Watanabe (Keyakizaka46)
20th: Miru Shiroma (NMB48 / AKB48)
Read also:
Keiko Kitagawa voted Japan’s most beautiful female celebrity again
Actor Masaki Suda voted most popular handsome artiste in Japan
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