Keyakizaka member popularity, as measured by inclusion in Japanese Twitter profiles

One way of gauging entertainers' popularity is to count how many times members are included in Twitter profiles. If you put someone in your profile, you probably really like them.

These Keyaki numbers are generated every month or so by a poster on 5channel, who counts only Japanese Twitter.

The top names by far remain Nagahama Neru, Hirate Yurina and Watanabe Risa. But when we look at the increase from late October's count to this count on the last day of 2018, we see good news for Hiragana, too. Risa is the top gainer, but the new Hiragana centre Kosaka Nao has gained more mentions than Neru (!), second only to Risa. And the members who stand beside her now, Kakizaki Memi and Watanabe Miho, are both in the top seven gainers.

The other big gainer I see is Suzumoto Miyu, who gained the sixth-most of any member.

Here are the full lists: first by absolute numbers, then by gains over the two months.


Mentions in Twitter profiles
[★=Gana 1gen ☆=Gana 2gen]
※()in brackets=increase 10/26 to year-end

14,452 Nagahama Neru (+315)
13,749 Hirate Yurina (+284)
12,036 Watanabe Risa (+398)

*7,745 Sugai Yuuka (+196)
*7,424 Watanabe Rika (+177)
*7,114 Kobayashi Yui (+149)
*4,751 Koike Minami (+157)
*3,877 Suzumoto Miyu (+268)
*3,540 Moriya Akane (+49)
*3,418★Saitou Kyouko (+176)
*3,149 Uemura Rina (+57)

Interview with K46 management committee chairman Konno Yoshio -- "Rock is in their being"

Keyakizaka46, a year rushing forward at high speed -- "Rock is in their being"

interview with Keyakizaka46 management committee chairman Konno Yoshio, from Nikkei Style web

Keyakizaka46 is the second idol group in the Sakamichi Series, following Nogizaka46. Its debut single, Silent Majority, had a strong message and conveyed the emotions of teens, and its support spread beyond idol fans. In its first week, the song sold over 260,000 copies, a rocket start that set a new record for debut sales by a female artist.

From that point, the group has continued to rise. Its second single, Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai (released August 2016) set a mark of 320,000 for its first week. The third single, Futari Saison (released November 2016) sold 440,000 in its first week. All three singles entered the Oricon weekly chart at #1. Futari Saison became an extended hit, climbing over 500,000 in sales and gaining a double platinum award from the Recording Industry Association of Japan.

Keyakizaka46 (first two rows, ~April 2017)

Keyakizaka46 had taken only eight months to reach sales numbers that it took Nogizaka46 a year and five months to reach (with its sixth single, Girls Rule). At the end of 2016, only nine months after their debut, Keyakizaka46 appeared on NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen. And their fourth single, Fukyouwaon (released April 2017) had sales of 630,000 in its first week. The Keyakizaka46 whirlwind is showing no signs of slowing down, and is having a big effect.

Keyakizaka46 member popularity on Twitter: Neru and the rest

One way of judging members' popularity is by counting mentions in Twitter profiles. A member's name in someone's Twitter profile is a clear indication of support.

Someone on 2channel tabulates mentions in Twitter profiles every month. Here is the situation as of April 10. Neru is still the clear leader, followed over a thousand mentions back by Mona and Risa, then Hirate and Zuumin.

The first figure is as of April 10. The number in parentheses is the change since March 9. Hiragana in pink.


1. Nagahama Neru 長濱ねる 6,400 (667)
2. Shida Manaka 志田愛佳 4,994 (599)
3. Watanabe Risa 渡邉理佐 4,613 (652)
4. Hirate Yurina 平手友梨奈 4,016 (381)
5. Imaizumi Yui 今泉佑唯 3,929 (697)
6. Sugai Yuuka 菅井友香 3,072 (258)
7. Watanabe Risa 渡辺梨加 2,849 (309)
8. Kobayashi Yui 小林由依 2,373 (357)
9. Moriya Akane 守屋茜 1,964 (178)
10. Koike Minami 小池美波 1,638 (166)

Keyakizaka46 has two singles in the top ten

In the Oricon weekly chart just released, Keyakizaka46 has two singles in the top ten, Futari Saison (#3) and Silent Majority (#8).

Propelled by their appearance on Kouhaku, the Keyakizaka46 wave continues to roll. In the Oricon chart covering the period from 2 January to 8 January, Futari Saison (released 30 November) has risen back to number 3, selling 12,000 copies and raising its total to 524,000. For a new artist to break the 500K sales barrier within nine months of its debut shows remarkable strength, says an article on the Oricon website.

At the same time, Silent Majority, which was released about nine months ago, has risen from the already remarkable height of #18, back into the top ten at #8, selling 4657 copies, to lift its total to 388,000.

To put this in context, however, the Keyaki-chans' elder sisters, Nogizaka46, have seen their latest hit, Sayonara no Imi (released 9 November) also return to the top ten, at #7, making its total sales 937,000.


The piece on the Oricon website points out that Keyakizaka is getting support from young and old, from 18-year-old star actress Hirose Suzu (who has supported them on Twitter) to Yellow Monkey vocalist Yoshii Kazuya, 40 (who bought SaiMajo and Saison CDs and showed them off at Kouhaku). Weekly Oricon rankings for the CD have been 1 -5 - 3 - 13 - 5 - 3.

To cap all this off, the MV of Kataru nara Mirai wo..., a coupling song on the group's second CD, has just gone over 5 million views on YouTube. A coupling song!

In a further demonstration of Keyakizaka's widening popularity, the magazine Asahi Weekly, which is not a youth magazine at all, includes Hiragana Keyaki on its cover as one of the people and groups it expects to make 2017 a lively year. "Including Hiragana and not Kanji makes this journal for old men seem as if it is trying too hard to look smart." Probably so, lol. But they might also be right that Hiragana will make its own splash this year.

At the same time, Silent Majority, which was released about nine months ago, has risen from the already remarkable perch of #18, back into the top ten at #8, selling 4657 copies, to lift its total to 388,000. So Keyakizaka has two singles in the top ten right now.

To put this in context, however, the Keyaki-chans' elder sisters, Nogizaka46, have seen their latest hit, Sayonara no Imi (released 9 November) also return to the top ten, at #7, making its total sales 937,000.

The piece on the Oricon website points out that Keyakizaka is getting support from young and old, from 18-year-old star actress Hirose Suzu (who has supported them on Twitter) to Yellow Monkey vocalist Yoshii Kazuya, 40 (who bought SaiMajo and Saison CDs and showed them off at Kouhaku). Weekly Oricon rankings for the CD have been 1 -5 - 3 - 13 - 5 - 3.

In a further demonstration of growing popularity, the magazine Asahi Weekly, which is not a youth magazine at all, includes Hiragana Keyaki on its cover as one of the people and groups it expects to make 2017 a lively year. "Including Hiragana and not Kanji makes this journal for old men seem as if it is trying to hard to look smart." Probably so, lol. But they might also be right that Hiragana will make its own splash this year.

Propelled by their appearance on Kouhaku, the Keyakizaka46 wave continues to roll. In the weekly Oricon chart covering the period from 2 January to 8 January, Futari Saison (released 30 November) has risen back to number 3, selling 12,000 copies and raising its total to 524,000. For a new artist to break the 500K sales barrier within nine months of its debut shows remarkable momentum, says an article on the Oricon website.

At the same time, Silent Majority, which was released about nine months ago, has risen from the already remarkable perch of #18, back into the top ten at #8, selling 4657 copies, to lift its total to 388,000. So Keyakizaka has two singles in the top ten right now.

To put this in context, however, the Keyaki-chans' elder sisters, Nogizaka46, have seen their latest hit, Sayonara no Imi (released 9 November) also return to the top ten, at #7, making its total sales 937,000.

The piece on the Oricon website points out that Keyakizaka is getting support from young and old, from 18-year-old star actress Hirose Suzu (who has supported them on Twitter) to Yellow Monkey vocalist Yoshii Kazuya, 40 (who bought SaiMajo and Saison CDs and showed them off at Kouhaku). Weekly Oricon rankings for the CD have been 1 -5 - 3 - 13 - 5 - 3.

In a further demonstration of growing popularity, the magazine Asahi Weekly, which is not a youth magazine at all, includes Hiragana Keyaki on its cover as one of the people and groups it expects to make 2017 a lively year. "Including Hiragana and not Kanji makes this journal for old men seem as if it is trying to hard to look smart." Probably so, lol. But they might also be right that Hiragana will make its own splash this year.

Keyaki Love: reactions to the one-man lives

Ariake Coliseum 24 December 2016

Here are some reactions from 2channel.
___________

Now I'm sure that I really love this group and will support them with all my strength.

I know what I'm going to write is gross, but this group has such an amazingly warm feeling, and the live made me realize that was what attracted me to them.

I had the same feeling: their warmth as a team.

What a wonderful group. When Sugai-sama wept it made Fuu-chan weep.

It was so great when Manaka as MC so artfully kissed Nen.

I only just stopped crying (´；ω；`). Thank you for such a great Christmas.  [posted about a half-hour after the show's broadcast ended]

Keyakizaka46 -- Oricon best-selling new artists of the year

Oricon has announced that Keyakizaka46 are this year's top-selling new singles artists. This is the first time a female artist has occupied this spot since HKT48 in 2013.

Keyakizaka also had the three top-selling singles by a new artist this year. This is the first time this has happened since Nogizaka46 in 2012.

Their singles placed 11th (Futari Saison), 13th (Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai) and 14th (Silent Majority) in total sales for the year, and were all #1 hits. This put them fourth in singles sales ranking for the year, after AKB48, Nogizaka46, and Arashi.

The group had total sales of 1.63 billion Yen (~US$15 million).

At the moment, it is 1pm Christmas Eve in Tokyo. People have been lining up since 8:30am to buy official goods and get into the Ariake Coliseum, where doors will open at 3:30 for the first of the group's three Christmas one-man live concerts, which will begin at 5pm.

This was the scene 2-3 hours ago:

Keyaki Love -- more and more oshis in Keyakizaka46

Recent 2channel discussion has pointed out that it's not just a select few members of Keyakizaka46 who get fans' support. More and more members are becoming popular, and many people simply support the whole group. The thread developed into an outpouring of Keyaki Love:

"I've always supported Mona, but recently Nen is coming up. Of course I love Risa of Za Cool, and Neru is so cute. Sugai-sama's character is superior. And I love Zuumin, too... Are there other people like this? I have too many oshis to fit in a front line. Can the rest of you get it down to 1-3 oshis?

"That's why so many people are going hako-oshi (i.e., supporting everyone in the group). They all have their attraction."

Popular young actress/model Hirose Suzu supports Keyakizaka46

Model/actress/TV personality Hirose Suzu 広瀬すず (18) says on her radio show ("School of Lock"):

"You're listening to Silent Majority by Keyakizaka46. I've known them all along, but I just recently watched them properly on TV. ...now I reaaaaly want to support them. What dancing! And still I find their music so soothing. They're my number one interest right now!!"

Hirose-san is an 18-year-old model, actress, and TV personality who is also one of the regular hosts of School of Lock.

She won numerous awards for her role of Suzu in Umimachi Diary ("Our Little Sister"), which iself won the Japanese academy award as best film of 2015 -- and which I recommend.

She won numerous awards for her role of youngest sister Suzu in the film Umimachi Diary ("Our Little Sister") which itself won the Japanese Academy Award as best film of 2015 -- and which I recommend.

Since 2013, she has done eight TV dramas, nine films, and 42 TV commercials. She has been an exclusive model with Japanese Seventeen since 2012. She has put out calendars for each of the past four years, has photo books, etc., etc. A good supporter for K46 to have: young and famous.

K46 member popularity as measured by mentions in Twitter profiles

There's a guy on 2channel who posts monthly compilations of how often each member of Keyakizaka46 (Kanji and Hiragana) is included in someone's Twitter profile in Japan. This is a rough measure of how much each member is supported by fans on Twitter.

Neru is far and away the most popular member, by this measure. Manaka comes second, Risa third, and Hirate only fourth. Here's today's list:

name - mentions (increase Nov9-Dec9)
Nagahama Neru 長濱ねる 3,610 (267)
Shida Manaka 志田愛佳 2,601 (319)
Watanabe Risa 渡邉理佐 2,390 (238)
Hirate Yurina 平手友梨奈 2,267 (269)
Imaizumi Yui 今泉佑唯 2,030 (171)
Watanabe Rika 渡辺梨加 1,824 (98)
Sugai Yuuka 菅井友香 1,584 (219)
Koike Minami 小池美波 1,183 (178)
Kobayashi Yui 小林由依 1,170 (31)
Moriya Akane 守屋茜 884 (172)
Uemura Rina 上村莉菜 877 (81)

Futari Saison sells 350K on first day, stores sell out

So Futari Saison seems to be Keyakizaka46's biggest hit yet. Tuesday and Wednesday have been a Saison festival in Japan.

The 3rd single sold 353,000 copies by the end of Tuesday, up over 100 thousand from first-day sales of 2nd single Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai. First-day sales of that were up 50 thousand from the group's 1st single and breakout hit, Silent Majority. Then it sold 30,000 copies on Wednesday, raising the total to 386,000. Sales of 400,000 in the first week seem to be a sure thing.

The big Tsutaya and Tower records stores in Shibuya (Tokyo) have extensive displays publicizing the record. Here are a couple of pics from Tsutaya:

Entering the store

Neru tops list of Keyakizaka46 member mentions in Japanese Twitter profiles

Neru at the Miracle 9 quiz show studio

Someone on 2channel is checking monthly how many times each Keyakizaka member is mentioned in Japanese Twitter profiles. (They are probably using this tool.)

The full list is below, but in any case, Neru is far and away the most mentioned, with just over 3000 mentions. Za Cool comes next, with Mona a bit over 2000 and Risa just under it. Techi is close behind...in fourth place.

Zuumin is behind her, then Rika, then Sugai, then Yui-Pon. And Mii-chan's growing popularity shows in the fact she comes right after her. Uemura comes next, but after a gap.

The Hiragana-chans are at the bottom of the list, but one of them -- Katou Shiho -- comes just above the last Kanji -- Fuu-chan. Memi and Kumi come next.

Bringing up the rear, for the moment, is Mii-pon (Sasaki Mirei). But the striking new UTB+ photo feature on Mirei, Neru and Shiho may change that. Check out "keyakizakamatome.tumblr.com".

The first number in the table is total mentions, the second (in parentheses) is increase since the poster's last list, on September 5. Only Mii-pon went down. A search of Neru shows that she has increased by another dozen over the past day or less, to 3093.

SaiMajo #5 on Billboard Hot 100 for First Half of 2016. Harujion #2!

Silent Majority has come in at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first half of 2016, behind only AKB48, Nogizaka46, and two songs by Arashi. This is heady company for a new group's first single.

In another triumph for the Sakamichi group, Harujion ga Saku Koro was #2. And 48/46 groups took six of the top 20 places.

The Billboard Hot 100 tries to estimate the total popularity of a song by combining figures from CD sales, downloads, radio plays, streaming, online searches, Twitter mentions, etc. The period covered was 2015.11.23 to 2016.05.29.


AKB48's Kimi wa Melody was far and away the #1 song, with Nogizaka46's Harujion ga Saku koro #2. Then came Arashi's I seek and Fukkatsu Love. Silent Majority at #5 came before songs by Hoshino Gen (Sun), Nishino Kana (Torisetsu), back number (Christmas Song), Urashima Tarou (Umi no Koe) and Exile (Ki・mi・ni・mu・chu) in the top ten. Numbers 11-20 included songs by One OK Rock, Kobukuro, SMAP, Perfume, and two more from the powerhouse AKB48.

source