Mao Asada Grabs Top Place for the TV Celebrity Image Survey

[Gee]

From tokyohive:

Earlier this week, Video Research Ltd. released the results of their influential ‘TV Celebrity Image Survey‘, which is conducted twice a year (February & August).

Aside from researching the official TV audience ratings, Video Research Ltd. often conducts image and popularity surveys related to various topics concerning people, products, and characters appearing on TV and radio. One of those surveys is the well-known ‘TV Celebrity Image Survey’, which analyzes the awareness, popularity and image of 1,000 celebrities that regularly appear on TV. The February 2012 ranking marks the 79th time that they’ve conducted this particular survey.

The results can be very influential, as industry officials often include this data when deciding the cast of new shows, dramas/movies, and commercials. While the detailed information only is available for their official partners, such as all the TV networks, they always release the top 50 of the general popularity ranking to the public. The popularity rating displays how many of the 1,130 people (565 for the male ranking, 565 for the female ranking) who took part in this survey and whether they chose “I like him/her a lot” or “I like him/her a little” for the respective person.

This time actor Abe Hiroshi came out on top of the male ranking. He already had been within the top 3 for the previous two rankings released in 2011 and the last time he actually topped the ranking was in the August ranking of 2010. Fellow actor Watanabe Ken also reached a new record high, but unfortunately he still barely missed a place inside the top 10. Child actor Suzuki Fuku was included in the survey for the first time and already became the 23rd most popular male celebrity on TV.

In the female ranking, figure skater Asada Mao once again claimed the top position after dropping out of the top 5 in the August ranking of 2011. She also topped the ranking in the previous February ranking. In second and third place ranked the actresses Ayase Haruka (last time: 4th) and Amami Yuki (last time: 2nd). A big jump towards the upper ranking was achieved by actress Aragaki Yui, who improved herself by six ranks and entered the top 10 for the first time in her career. One of Japan’s best female football players, Sawa Homare, also ranked inside the top 10, even though this is the first time she was included in the survey.

You can check out the male and female top 50 below!

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Male Celebrity Image Ranking

01 – 54.2% – Abe Hiroshi
02 – 52.0% – Ichiro
03 – 51.7% – Fukuyama Masaharu
04 – 49.0% – Akashiya Sanma
05 – 47.1% – Ishizuka Hidehiko
06 – 46.7% – Kuwata Keisuke
07 – 45.8% – Beat Takeshi (Kitano Takeshi)
08 – 45.7% – Taka and Toshi
09 – 44.2% – Yamaguchi Tomomitsu
10 – 44.1% – Okamura Takashi

11 – 43.9% – Tokoro George
11 – 43.9% – Watanabe Ken
13 – 41.8% – Yuzu
14 – 41.6% – Shimura Ken
15 – 41.4% – Aiba Masaki
15 – 41.4% – Abe Sadawo
17 – 41.2% – Summers
18 – 40.9% – Sekine Tsutomu
19 – 40.7% – Mr.Children
20 – 40.5% – Ameagari Kesshitai

21 – 40.4% – Oizumi Yo
22 – 39.8% – Sakurai Sho
23 – 39.5% – Kobukuro
23 – 39.5% – Suzuki Fuku (first time in the survey)
25 – 39.3% – Ikegami Akira
26 – 39.1% – Ishikawa Ryo
27 – 38.9% – Katori Shingo
28 – 38.4% – Matsumoto Hitoshi
28 – 38.4% – Kinashi Noritake
30 – 38.2% – EXILE

31 – 37.7% – Shofukutei Tsurube
32 – 37.5% – Ohno Satoshi
33 – 37.3% – Takenaka Naoto
33 – 37.3% – Eguchi Yosuke
35 – 37.0% – Takada Junji
35 – 37.0% – Nishida Toshiyuki
37 – 36.8% – Tamori
37 – 36.8% – Kimura Takuya
39 – 36.5% – Uchimura Teruyoshi
40 – 36.3% – Karasawa Toshiaki

41 – 36.1% – Mukai Osamu
42 – 34.9% – Ninomiya Kazunari
43 – 34.7% – Tsutsumi Shinichi
44 – 34.5% – Harada Taizo
45 – 34.3% – Tsumabuki Satoshi
45 – 34.3% – B’z
47 – 34.2% – Ito Shiro
47 – 34.2% – Mizutani Yutaka
49 – 33.6% – Ueda Shinya (first time in the survey)
49 – 33.6% – Yakusho Koji
49 – 33.6% – Oda Kazumasa

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Female Celebrity Image Ranking

01 – 56.8% – Asada Mao
02 – 53.1% – Ayase Haruka
03 – 49.4% – Amami Yuki
04 – 48.5% – Matsushima Nanako
05 – 47.1% – DREAMS COME TRUE
06 – 44.6% – Nakama Yukie
07 – 44.2% – Becky
08 – 40.2% – Aragaki Yui
09 – 39.1% – Yoshinaga Sayuri
10 – 38.8% – Sawa Homare (first time in the survey)
10 – 38.8% – Takeuchi Yuko

12 – 38.6% – Fukatsu Eri
13 – 38.2% – Amuro Namie
14 – 38.1% – Kanno Miho
15 – 37.3% – Yuuka
16 – 37.0% – Esumi Makiko
16 – 37.0% – Yanagihara Kanako
18 – 36.5% – Ikimonogakari
19 – 36.3% – Shinohara Ryoko
20 – 35.9% – Ueto Aya

21 – 34.7% – Inoue Mao
22 – 34.5% – Imoto Ayako
23 – 34.3% – Ashida Mana
24 – 34.0% – Sekine Mari
25 – 32.4% – YOU
26 – 32.2% – Koizumi Kyoko
27 – 31.7% – Shibasaki Kou
28 – 31.3% – KARA (first time in the survey)
29 – 31.2% – Kuroki Hitomi
30 – 30.6% – Ishihara Satomi

31 – 30.4% – Horikita Maki
31 – 30.4% – Kichise Michiko
33 – 30.3% – Krumm-Date Kimiko
33 – 30.3% – Konishi Manami
35 – 30.1% – Miyazaki Aoi
35 – 30.1% – Nagasaku Hiromi
37 – 29.9% – Kitagawa Keiko
38 – 29.4% – Matsu Takako
38 – 29.4% – Aoi Yuu
40 – 29.2% – Karina

41 – 29.0% – Harisenbon
41 – 29.0% – Tomochika
43 – 28.8% – Nakajima Miyuki
43 – 28.8% – Yamaguchi Tomoko
43 – 28.8% – Yoshitaka Yuriko
46 – 28.5% – Kuroki Meisa
46 – 28.5% – Nagasawa Masami
46 – 28.5% – Yachigusa Kaoru
49 – 28.1% – Yonekura Ryoko
50 – 27.8% – Toda Keiko
50 – 27.8% – Takahata Atsuko

Even after she retires, I believe Mao will have a good career ahead of her.

[Olympia]

I think you're right about her future career, whether she becomes a pro skater or chooses some other work. It's nice to see her at the top of the list! It shows how people feel about her but also demonstrates that figure skating means something in Japan. Thanks for showing this.