Nizi Project (lit. "Rainbow Project") is a 2020 Japanese reality competition show. The series is a joint project between JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan with the intention of creating a Japanese girl group aimed at a global audience. Nizi Project is centered on JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young selecting members for the girl group out of 26 girls, who eventually debuted as NiziU.

Nizi Project
Season 1
Nizi Project logo
No. of episodes20
Release
Original networkHulu Japan
Original releaseJanuary 31 (2020-01-31) –
June 26, 2020 (2020-06-26)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2

Part 1 focused on the boot camp in 2019 with 26 contestants and was broadcast exclusively on Hulu Japan from January 31, 2020 to March 27, 2020. Part 2, which focused on the finals in 2020 between the top 14 contestants, was broadcast from May 22, 2020 to June 26, 2020. Beginning with Part 2, the series was also broadcast on YouTube.

A version of the show hosted by Daimaou Kosaka was broadcast on NTV from April 17, 2020 to June 26, 2020 under the title Nizi no Kake Hashi (虹のかけ橋) and featured interviews with Park and the contestants of Nizi Project. An abridged version was serialized on the variety show Sukkiri [ja] with live commentary from the show's panelists.

In July 2021, Park announced that Nizi Project will have a second season to create a 9-member Japanese boy band. The project was later delayed, but it resumed in July 2023.

Background

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In February 2019, JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan announced that they were creating an audition program titled Nizi Project to create a Japanese girl group aimed at a global audience, with plans for the group to debut in November 2020.[1] Auditions for Japanese girls aged 15–22 years old opened on May 1, 2019 and were evaluated by a panel of judges.[a] Approximately 10,231 people auditioned for the show.[2][3] The second round of auditions took place from July to August 2019 in eight locations in Japan as well as Hawaii and Los Angeles, with 26 contestants selected by JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young.[1] The 26 contestants attended a boot camp in Tokyo in September 2019 for four nights and five days.[2] The top 14 contestants were sent to train in South Korea for six months in December 2019.[2]

Each contestant selected by Park would be given a cube pendant based on the Nizi Project logo.[4][5] Throughout the show, Park would evaluate each contestant in four different categories,[1] with a triangular cube awarded to a contestant to fill her pendant if he felt she satisfied the category.[5] A second set of cubes was introduced in Part 2, with four additional tests.[6]

Part 1 was broadcast from January 31, 2020 to March 27, 2020 on Hulu Japan.[7] Part 2 was broadcast from May 22, 2020 to June 26, 2020.[8] In addition to Hulu Japan, the series was also uploaded to YouTube and an abridged version of the show was serialized through NTV's variety show Sukkiri [ja], with live commentaries from the show's panelists.[8] A version of the show, presented in the "perspective of the [host] and [Park] as the producers", was broadcast as a series of documentaries under the title Nizi no Kake Hashi (虹のかけ橋); the show was hosted by Daimaou Kosaka, with interviews from Park and the Nizi Project contestants, and was broadcast from April 17, 2020 to June 26, 2020.[8][9] Prior to the finale of Part 2, Sukkiri ran a 25-minute feature of all the episodes from June 15 to June 26, 2020 on weekdays.[3] A special feature of Nizi no Kake Hashi was broadcast on June 26, 2020, with announcer Keisuke Mori co-hosting the segment with Kosaka.[3]

Contestants

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Region Contestant Age Background
Nagoya Erina Hanada (花田 恵理奈)
Rio Hanabashi (花橋 梨緒) 17[b]–18[c] Former EXPG trainee with Bunnies[12] and Kizzy[13]
Miu Sakurai (櫻井 美羽) 17
Sendai Nina Hillman (ヒルマン・ニナ) 14[b]–15[c] Child actress and television personality under the name Nina Makino (牧野 仁菜)[14][15]
Kako Oguri [ja] (小栗 かこ) Former member of GEM[16] and One Chance[17]
Osaka Ayane Marutani (丸谷 彩音) 15
Ririka Kishida (岸田 莉里花) 17
Riku Oe (大江 梨久) 17[c]
Mayuka Ogou (小合 麻由佳) 15[b]–16[c]
Tokyo Akari Inoue (井上 あかり) 14[b]–15[c]
Miihi Suzuno (鈴野 未光) 14[b]–15[c] JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 7 months[4][18]
Rima Yokoi (横井 里茉) 15[b]–16[c] JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 7 months[4]
Mako Yamaguchi (山口 真子) 18[b]–19[c] JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 2 years and 7 months[4]
Hina Tanigawa (谷川 陽菜) Former member of TPD Dash![19]
Maya Katsumura (勝村 摩耶) 17[b]–18[c] Former YG Japan trainee[5]
Yuna (ユナ) 15[b]–16[c] JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 2 years and 8 months[10][20]
Ayaka Arai (新井 彩花) 16[10]
Kyoka Taniya (谷屋 杏香)
Funa Takaya (高谷 楓菜)
Rei Ito (伊藤玲)
Sapporo Suzu Ozaki (尾崎 すず) 18
Fukuoka Riria Ikematsu (池松 里梨愛) 16[b]–17[c] Former member of α-X's [ja][21]
Momoka Hirai (平井 桃伽) 15[c]
Okinawa Moeno Yamashiro (山城 萌野)
Los Angeles Mei Plunkett (プランケット明)
Ana Sato (佐藤 愛夏)

Rankings

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Summary

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The top 9 finalists debuted as NiziU.[2]

Color key
       Cube was awarded
       Cube was awarded as a runner-up
       Ranked last; at risk of elimination
       Eliminated or withdrawn
Region Contestant Part 1 Part 2
Dance
(eps. 4-5)
[10]
Vocals
(eps. 5-6)
[22]
Star
(eps. 7-8)
[23]
Personality
(eps. 9-10)
[24]
Growth
(eps. 11-13)
[6]
Teamwork
(eps. 14-15)
[25]
Image
(eps. 17-18)
[26]
Finals
(eps. 19-20)
Tokyo Mako Yamaguchi 1 1 Won 1 2 3 1 1
Osaka Riku Oe 6 4 Won 5 3 4 10 2
Tokyo Rima Yokoi 7 7 Won 4 5 2 6 3
Nagoya Rio Hanabashi 9 13 10 6 8 2 4
Tokyo Maya Katsumura 12 12 Won 3 4 1 5 5
Tokyo Miihi Suzuno 2 3 Won 2 1 6 11 6
Osaka Mayuka Ogou 21[d] 24[d] Won[d] 13 8 11 3 7
Tokyo Ayaka Arai 16 18 Won 14 9 7 12 8
Sendai Nina Hillman 24 2 Won 7 7 9 8 9
Tokyo Akari Inoue 10 9 Won 11 13 5 4 Eliminated
Tokyo Yuna 8 8 Won 6 10 12 7 Eliminated
Fukuoka Riria Ikematsu 3 6 12 11 10 9 Eliminated
Fukuoka Momoka Hirai 15 11 Won[d] 9 12 13 13 (eliminated)
Sapporo Suzu Ozaki 5 5 Won 8 Withdrawn[e]
Tokyo Kyoka Taniya 18 19 Won Eliminated
Okinawa Moeno Yamashiro 13 23 Won Eliminated
Nagoya Miu Sakurai 17 10 Eliminated
Los Angeles Mei Plunkett 14 14 Eliminated
Tokyo Hina Tanigawa 22 15 Eliminated
Tokyo Funa Takaya 19 16 Eliminated
Tokyo Rei Ito 11 17 Eliminated
Sendai Kako Oguri 20[d] 20 Eliminated
Osaka Ririka Kishida 4 21 Eliminated
Osaka Ayane Marutani 23 22 Eliminated
Nagoya Erina Hanada 25 26 Eliminated
Los Angeles Ana Sato 26 25 Withdrawn[f]

Part 1

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Nizi Project Part 1 focused on the auditions in July and August 2019 and the Tokyo boot camp in September 2019.[2] Auditions opened on May 1, 2019 for girls aged 15–22 years old,[1] with a total of 10,231 entries.[2][3] The second round of auditions took place from July to August 2019 in Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Okinawa, as well as Hawaii and Los Angeles in the United States.[1] During the second auditions, Park and a panel of judges selected 26 contestants, which they awarded with Nizi pendants, and they would attend a boot camp in Tokyo that lasted four nights and five days.[2][5]

During the boot camp, the contestants were evaluated under four categories: dance, vocals, star quality, and personality.[4] If Park felt a contestant satisfied one of the categories, he would award her a triangular cube to fill her Nizi pendant.[4]

Auditions

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Broadcast
order
Region Contestant Dance Vocal
1 Nagoya Erina Hanada "Candy Pop" (Twice) Not broadcast
2 Rio Hanabashi "Hoshikuzu Venus" (Aimer) Not broadcast
19 Miu Sakurai Not broadcast "Good-bye Baby" (Miss A)
3 Sendai Nina Hillman "What Is Love? (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) "Brand New Day" (Rei Yasuda)
Kako Oguri Not broadcast Not broadcast
4 Osaka Ririka Kishida "Who's Your Mama?" (Park Jin-young feat. Jessi) Not broadcast
5 Ayane Marutani "Who's Your Mama?" (Park Jin-young feat. Jessi) Not broadcast
20 Riku Oe "Candy Pop" (Twice)[g] "Hoshikuzu Venus" (Aimer)
Mayuka Ogou "Candy Pop" (Twice)[g] Not broadcast
6 Tokyo Akari Inoue "BDZ" (Twice) "Brand New Day" (Rei Yasuda)
9 Miihi Suzuno Not broadcast "Precious" (Yuna Ito)
10 Rima Yokoi "Bad Girl Good Girl" (Miss A) "Irony" (Wonder Girls)
12 Mako Yamaguchi "You're the One" (Park Jin-young) "Freesia" (Uru)
8 Hina Tanigawa "Bad Girl Good Girl" (Miss A) Not broadcast
15 Maya Katsumura "24 Hours" (Sunmi) Not broadcast
16 Yuna "Irony" (Wonder Girls) Not broadcast
17 Ayaka Arai "Bad Girl Good Girl" (Miss A) Not broadcast
21 Kyoka Taniya "What Is Love? (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) Not broadcast
Funa Takaya Not broadcast Not broadcast
Rei Ito Not broadcast Not broadcast
7 Sapporo Suzu Ozaki "24 Hours" (Sunmi) "BDZ" (Twice)
7 Fukuoka Riria Ikematsu "Candy Pop" (Twice) "Yasashisa de Afureru You ni" (Juju)
18 Momoka Hirai "Good-bye Baby" (Miss A) "Be My Baby (Japanese ver.)" (Wonder Girls)
11 Okinawa Moeno Yamashiro "Who's Your Mama?" (Park Jin-young feat. Jessi) "Yasashisa de Afureru You ni" (Juju)
13 Los Angeles Mei Plunkett "Bad Girl Good Girl" (Miss A) Not broadcast
14 Ana Sato "What Is Love?" (Twice) Not broadcast

Cube 1: Dance

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For the dance evaluation, yellow cubes were awarded to the top 3 contestants, with additional cubes awarded to the rest of the top 16 contestants.[10]

Broadcast
order
Contestant Song
[10]
Rank
[10]
Result
[10]
1 Maya Katsumura "Dalla Dalla" (Itzy) 12 Runner-up
2 Miihi Suzuno "Cheer Up (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) 2 Won
3 Yuna "Likey" (Twice) 8 Runner-up
4 Ayaka Arai "Dalla Dalla" (Itzy) 16 Runner-up
5 Riria Ikematsu "Dalla Dalla" (Itzy) 3 Won
6 Rio Hanabashi "Summertime" (Riri, Keiju, Nariaki Obukuro) 9 Runner-up
7 Akari Inoue "Dalla Dalla" (Itzy) 10 Runner-up
9 Mako Yamaguchi "I'll Be Back (Japanese ver.)" (2PM) 1 Won
10 Ririka Kishida "Cheer Up (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) 4 Runner-up
11 Nina Hillman "Dalla Dalla" (Itzy) 24
12 Rima Yokoi "Fancy (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) 7 Runner-up
13 Riku Oe "Fancy (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) 6 Runner-up
14 Moeno Yamashiro "Yuki no Hana" (Mika Nakashima) 13 Runner-up
15 Momoka Hirai "Fancy (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) 15 Runner-up
16 Funa Takaya "Fancy (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) 19
17 Mayuka Ogou "Dalla Dalla" (Itzy) 21
Suzu Ozaki Not broadcast 5 Runner-up
Rei Ito Not broadcast 11 Runner-up
Mei Plunkett Not broadcast 14 Runner-up
Miu Sakurai Not broadcast 17
Kyoka Taniya Not broadcast 18
Kako Oguri Not broadcast 20
Hina Tanigawa Not broadcast 22
Ayane Marutani Not broadcast 23
Erina Hanada Not broadcast 25
Ana Sato Not broadcast 26

Cube 2: Vocal

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For the vocal evaluation, green cubes were awarded to 7 contestants, with additional cubes awarded to the rest of the top 13 contestants.[22]

Broadcast
order
Contestant Song
[22]
Rank
[22]
Result
[22]
1 Momoka Hirai "Comeback When You Hear This Song" (2PM) 11 Runner-up
2 Miu Sakurai "Connect" (ClariS) 10 Won
3 Miihi Suzuno "Yuki no Hana" (Mika Nakashima) 3 Won
4 Riku Oe "Yuki no Hana" (Mika Nakashima) 4 Won
5 Rima Yokoi "Dalla Dalla" (Itzy) 7 Runner-up
6 Maya Katsumura "A (Japanese ver.)" (Got7) 12 Runner-up
7 Rio Hanabashi "Yuki no Hana" (Mika Nakashima) 13 Runner-up
8 Ayaka Arai "One More Time" (Twice) 18
9 Mayuka Ogou "Love Forever" (Miliyah Kato feat. Shota Shimizu) 24
10 Ririka Kishida "One More Time" (Twice) 21 Runner-up
11 Nina Hillman "I'll Be Back (Japanese ver.)" (2PM) 2 Won
12 Yuna "Likey (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) 8 Runner-up
13 Mako Yamaguchi "Yuki no Hana" (Mika Nakashima) 1 Won
Suzu Ozaki Not broadcast 5 Won
Riria Ikematsu Not broadcast 6 Won
Akari Inoue Not broadcast 10 Runner-up
Mei Plunkett Not broadcast 14
Hina Tanigawa Not broadcast 15
Funa Takaya Not broadcast 16
Rei Ito Not broadcast 17
Kyoka Taniya Not broadcast 19
Kako Oguri Not broadcast 20
Ayane Marutani Not broadcast 22
Moeno Yamashiro Not broadcast 23
Ana Sato Not broadcast 25
Erina Hanada Not broadcast 26

Cube 3: Star

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For the star quality evaluation, red cubes were awarded to 8 contestants, with additional cubes awarded to 4 others.[23]

Broadcast
order
Contestant Act
[23]
Result
[23]
1 Erina Hanada Cheer dance with "One More Time" (Twice)
2 Ayaka Arai Tennis lesson with "Cheer Up (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) Won
3 Kyoka Taniya Cooking tteokbokki with "Cheer Up (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) Runner-up
4 Riku Oe Karate with "Again & Again" (2PM) Won
5 Ayane Marutani Lock dance
6 Ririka Kishida Ballet
7 Momoka Hirai Interview skit
8 Mayuka Ogou "Yuki no Hana" (Mika Nakashima) on ocarina
9 Mei Plunkett Magic card trick
10 Riria Ikematsu Modeling
11 Rio Hanabashi Dance
12 Mako Yamaguchi Eating a lemon without making a face and writing calligraphy Runner-up
13 Maya Katsumura Reading "The Ugly Duckling" with self-illustrated storyboards Won
14 Rima Yokoi "One More Time" (Twice) on drums Won
15 Hina Tanigawa Confessing with seven personalities
16 Miihi Suzuno Baton twirling with "TT (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) Won
17 Miu Sakurai Eating grapes with cream
18 Suzu Ozaki Imitating Sailor Moon Won
19 Yuna Dance Won
20 Moeno Yamashiro Dance Runner-up
21 Rei Ito Dance
22 Ana Sato Violin
23 Funa Takaya Dance
24 Kako Oguri Dance
25 Nina Hillman Radio show with "Cheer Up (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) Won
26 Akari Inoue Cheer dance with "Fancy (Japanese ver.)" (Twice) Runner-up

Cube 4: Personality

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The final performance of the Tokyo boot camp consisted of a group performance with the song assigned by Park. The showcase was evaluated by Park and Twice members Sana and Momo.[24] Contestants had an opportunity to appeal and be awarded any of the first three cubes missed as they perform in the showcase in episodes 9 and 10.[27]

Afterwards, the contestants were awarded blue cubes for personality based on feedback from the trainers, staff, and the answers that the contestants provided on their questionnaires.[24][27][28] The contestants with 3 or more cubes were allowed to proceed to the boot camp in South Korea.[24]

Order Team Contestant Song Rank
[24]
Result
[24]
1 Nizi Girls Suzu Ozaki (leader) "Be My Baby" (Wonder Girls) 8 Safe
Rio Hanabashi 10 Runner-up
Momoka Hirai 9 Safe
Mei Plunkett Eliminated
Hina Tanigawa Eliminated
2 5PM Mako Yamaguchi (leader) "Again & Again" (2PM) 1 Won
Ayaka Arai 14 Runner-up
Kyoka Taniya Eliminated
Moeno Yamashiro Eliminated
Akari Inoue 11 Safe
3 Team Dalla Dalla Nina Hillman (leader) "Dalla Dalla" (Itzy) 7 Runner-up
Yuna 6 Won
Ririka Kishida Eliminated
Mayuka Ogou 13 Safe
Erina Hanada Eliminated
4 Miss G Riku Oe (leader) "Bad Girl Good Girl" (Miss A) 5 Won
Rima Yokoi 4 Won
Maya Katsumura 3 Won
Rei Ito Eliminated
Funa Takaya Eliminated
Ayane Marutani Eliminated
5 TT Team Miihi Suzuno (leader) "TT (Japanese version)" (Twice) 2 Won
Riria Ikematsu 12 Runner-up
Miu Sakurai Eliminated
Kako Oguri Eliminated
Ana Sato Withdrawn[f]

Part 2

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The top 14 contestants qualified to attend a boot camp in South Korea for six months, beginning in December 2019.[2] During the next set of evaluations, Park revealed an additional set of four cubes to award to the contestants based on growth, teamwork, image, and a final overall grade.[6] If a contestant ranks in the bottom twice, she is automatically eliminated.[6]

Cube 5: Growth

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In episodes 11 to 13, for the fifth cube, Park evaluated each contestant through the Individual Level Test, assessing her individual improvement.[6] Each contestant chose her own song and performance.[6] The winners of this round are Miihi Suzuno (1st), Mako Yamaguchi (2nd), Riku Oe (3rd), and Maya Katsumura (4th).[6] Everyone else within the top 9 also received cubes as runner-ups.[6] The bottom 4 contestants did not receive cubes, and Akari Inoue (13th) ranked last.[6]

Order Contestant Song Rank
[6]
Result
[6]
1 Rio Hanabashi "Lady" (Yubin) 6 Runner-up
2 Akari Inoue "Good-bye Baby" (Miss A) 13 Last
3 Miihi Suzuno "Nobody (Rainstone remix)" (Wonder Girls) 1 Won
4 Ayaka Arai "Precious Love" (Twice) 9 Runner-up
5 Nina Hillman "Attention" (Charlie Puth) 7 Runner-up
6 Riku Oe "Who's Your Mama?" (Park Jin-young feat. Jessi) 3 Won
7 Yuna "I Don't Need a Man" (Miss A) 10 Safe
8 Maya Katsumura "Touch" (Miss A) 4 Won
9 Mayuka Ogou "Like This" (Wonder Girls) 8 Runner-up
10 Momoka Hirai "BDZ (Korean ver.)" (Twice) 12 Safe
11 Riria Ikematsu "Who's Your Mama?" (Park Jin-young feat. Jessi) 11 Safe
12 Rima Yokoi "Honey" (Park Jin-young) 5 Runner-up
13 Mako Yamaguchi "24 Hours" (Sunmi) 2 Won

Cube 6: Teamwork

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In episodes 14 and 15, for the sixth cube, Park assessed the contestants based on teamwork.[29][25] Songs and heats were assigned randomly.[29] Mako Yamaguchi's team won the first round,[29] while Miihi Suzuno's team won the second round, with both teams earning cubes.[25] Additional cubes were granted to Riku Oe (4th), Akari Inoue (5th), and Nina Hillman (9th) as runner-ups.[25] The remaining contestants did not receive cubes, and Momoka Hirai (13th) ranked last.[25]

Order Heat Team Contestant Song Battle Outcome Rank
[25]
Result
[25]
1 B Mr. Mad-eonni Mako Yamaguchi (leader) "Swing Baby" (Park Jin-young) Won 3 Won
Maya Katsumura 1 Won
Rio Hanabashi 8 Won
2 Heart Maker Riku Oe (leader) "Heart Shaker (Japanese version)" (Twice) Lost 4 Runner-up
Yuna 12 Safe
Momoka Hirai 13 Last
3 A Sun Rise Miihi Suzuno (leader) "Very Very Very" (I.O.I) Won 6 Won
Rima Yokoi 2 Won
Ayaka Arai 7 Won
4 Seaside Fairies Nina Hillman (leader) "Dance the Night Away" (Twice) Lost 9 Runner-up
Mayuka Ogou 11 Safe
Riria Ikematsu 10 Safe
Akari Inoue 5 Runner-up

Extreme Sports Fest

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In episodes 15 and 16, the contestants are invited on a day out under the pretense of having a picnic, only for it to be a sports festival aimed to foster their physical endurance and artistic expressions.[30] The Extreme Sports Fest was hosted by 2PM member Wooyoung with Ji Suk-woo as his Japanese interpreter.[30]

The contestants are split into two teams: the Pink Team, consisting of Mako Yamaguchi (leader), Ayaka Arai, Yuna, Mayuka Ogou, Rima Yokoi, Riria Ikematsu, and Riku Oe; and the Mint Team, consisting of Rio Hanabashi (leader), Miihi Suzuno, Akari Inoue, Maya Katsumura, Momoka Hirai, and Nina Hillman.[30] The pink team won, earning tickets to an amusement park.[30]

Game Score
Pink Team Mint Team
Musical chairs 0 50
Limbo 0 50
Charades 50 0
Flip the card 100 0
Total 150 100

Cube 7: Image

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In episodes 17 and 18, for the seventh cube, Park assigned the groups each a song he felt would suit their image.[26][31] Maya Katsumura's team won, with all team members receiving cubes.[26] Additional cubes were awarded to Mako Yamaguchi (1st), Rio Hanabashi (2nd), Mayuka Ogou (3rd), Rima Yokoi (6th), Nina Hillman (8th), and Riria Ikematsu (9th) as runner-ups.[26] Momoka Hirai (13th) was eliminated for ranking last in two rounds.[26]

Order Team Contestant Song Battle Outcome
[26]
Rank Result
[26]
1 Iris Maya Katsumura (leader) "Feel Special" (Twice) 1st place 5 Won
Miihi Suzuno 11 Won
Akari Inoue 4 Won
Yuna 7 Won
2 2K5 Mako Yamaguchi (leader) "Heartbeat" (2PM) 3rd place 1 Runner-up
Riku Oe 10 Safe
Mayuka Ogou 3 Runner-up
Ayaka Arai 12 Safe
Momoka Hirai 13 Eliminated
3 We Bling Rima Yokoi (leader) "Icy" (Itzy) 2nd place 6 Runner-up
Nina Hillman 8 Runner-up
Rio Hanabashi 2 Runner-up
Riria Ikematsu 9 Runner-up

Cube 8: Finals

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In episodes 19 and 20, the finals were split into two rounds for the final cube, which determined whether the contestant was selected for the debuting girl group.[32] The groups were evaluated by Park, 2PM member Wooyoung and Twice member Momo.[3]

In both rounds, the teams would perform new songs originally composed by Park.[32] For the first round, Mako Yamaguchi's team performed "Beyond the Rainbow" and Maya Katsumura's team performed "Boom Boom Boom", with Katsumura's team winning.[32] In the second round, both teams performed "Make You Happy", with Yamaguchi's team winning.[33] During the rank announcements, Park announced the top 9 contestants, who were chosen to debut in NiziU.[33]

Team Contestant Round 1 Round 2 Rank Result
Order Song
[32]
Battle Outcome Order Song Battle Outcome
Mako Team Mako Yamaguchi (leader) 1 "Beyond the Rainbow" Lost 1 "Make You Happy" Won 1 Won
Rio Hanabashi 4 Won
Akari Inoue Eliminated
Yuna Eliminated
Riria Ikematsu Eliminated
Ayaka Arai 8 Won
Maya Team Maya Katsumura (leader) 2 "Boom Boom Boom" Won 2 Lost 5 Won
Mayuka Ogou 7 Won
Rima Yokoi 3 Won
Riku Oe 2 Won
Nina Hillman 9 Won
Miihi Suzuno 6 Won

Aftermath

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  • The top 9 finalists debuted as NiziU.[2]
Other contestants
  • Some trainees formed/joined with groups:
    • Kyoka Taniya debuted in Give & Give, a girl group managed by CyberAgent.[34]
    • Ririka Kishida debuted in ILY:1, a South Korean girl group managed by FC ENM.
    • Miu Sakurai will debut in ME:I, a Japanese girl group managed by Lapone Entertainment.
  • Some trainees participated in other survival shows:

Sequel

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On July 12, 2021, Park held a press conference announcing that Nizi Project will have a second season to create a Japanese boy band set for debut in March 2023.[36] Applications for boys from 14 to 22 years old are open from July 2021 to October 2021.[36] Auditions will take place from November to December 2021 in eight cities in Japan, as well as New York and Los Angeles in the United States, and Seoul in South Korea.[36] The contestants will be evaluated in five categories: vocal, dance, rap, modeling, and composing/lyricism.[36] The members for the group will be finalized and announced in December 2022.[36]

Notes

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  1. ^ Contestants who are 14 years old are allowed to apply as long as they are turning 15 years old by the end of 2019 and graduating from middle school by March 2019.[1]
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Age in Part 1.[4][10]
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Age in Part 2.[11]
  4. ^ a b c d e Park Jin-young awarded some contestants with any of the first three cubes during the showcase in episodes 9 and 10.[27]
  5. ^ Suzu Ozaki withdrew after Part 1 for personal reasons.[8]
  6. ^ a b Ana Sato withdrew from Nizi Project shortly before the showcase evaluation in Part 1 due to a knee injury.[28]
  7. ^ a b Not released on official television broadcast.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "日韓文化融合のガールズグループ結成へ TWICE"生みの親"が構想語る". Oricon (in Japanese). February 7, 2019. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "『Nizi Project』発「NiziU」メンバー9人決定、喜びの涙 急きょ6・30プレデビュー". Oricon (in Japanese). June 26, 2020. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e "ニジプロ佳境 デビューメンバー『虹かけ』で最速発表 『スッキリ』怒涛の特集・特番も". Oricon (in Japanese). June 12, 2020. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "『Nizi Project(ニジプロジェクト)』とは?". Oricon (in Japanese). June 18, 2020. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Toma, Toriko (February 8, 2020). "『Nizi Project』、26名での東京合宿がスタート ダンスレベルテストは鈴野未光がキューブを獲得". Real Sound (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Toma, Toriko (May 11, 2020). "『Nizi Project』Part 2第3話、「個人レベルテスト」1位はミイヒ "訴えかける力"が評価に". Real Sound (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  7. ^ Toma, Toriko (January 31, 2020). "「Nizi Project」オーディション番組、Huluで独占配信開始 公式Twitterでのライブ配信も". Real Sound (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
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