Nizi Project season 1

Nizi 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.
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 and featured interviews with Park and the contestants of Nizi Project. An abridged version was serialized on the variety show 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.

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Background

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. Auditions for Japanese girls aged 15–22 years old opened on May 1, 2019 and were evaluated by a panel of judges. Approximately 10,231 people auditioned for the show. 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. The 26 contestants attended a boot camp in Tokyo in September 2019 for four nights and five days. The top 14 contestants were sent to train in South Korea for six months in December 2019.
Each contestant selected by Park would be given a cube pendant based on the Nizi Project logo. Throughout the show, Park would evaluate each contestant in four different categories, with a triangular cube awarded to a contestant to fill her pendant if he felt she satisfied the category. A second set of cubes was introduced in Part 2, with four additional tests.
Part 1 was broadcast from January 31, 2020 to March 27, 2020 on Hulu Japan. Part 2 was broadcast from May 22, 2020 to June 26, 2020. 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 , with live commentaries from the show's panelists. A version of the show, presented in the "perspective of the and as the producers", was broadcast as a series of documentaries under the title Nizi no Kake Hashi; 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. 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. A special feature of Nizi no Kake Hashi was broadcast on June 26, 2020, with announcer Keisuke Mori co-hosting the segment with Kosaka.

Contestants

Region	Contestant	Age	Background
Nagoya	Erina Hanada
Nagoya	Rio Hanabashi	17-18	Former EXPG trainee with Bunnies and Kizzy
Nagoya	Miu Sakurai	17
Sendai	Nina Makino	14-15	Child actress and television personality under the name Nina Makino
Sendai			Former member of GEM and One Chance
Osaka	Ayane Marutani	15
Osaka	Ririka Kishida	17
Osaka	Riku Oe	17
Osaka	Mayuka Ogou	15-16
Tokyo	Akari Inoue	14-15
Tokyo	Miihi Suzuno	14-15	JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 7 months
Tokyo	Rima Yokoi	15-16	JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 7 months
Tokyo	Mako Yamaguchi	18-19	JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 2 years and 7 months
Tokyo	Hina Tanigawa		Former member of TPD Dash!
Tokyo	Maya Katsumura	17-18	Former YG Japan trainee
Tokyo	Yuna	15-16	JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 2 years and 8 months
Tokyo	Ayaka Arai	16
Tokyo	Kyoka Taniya
Tokyo	Funa Takaya
Tokyo	Rei Ito
Sapporo	Suzu Ozaki	18
Fukuoka	Riria Ikematsu	16-17	Former member of
Fukuoka	Momoka Hirai	15
Okinawa	Moeno Yamashiro
Los Angeles	Mei Plunkett
Los Angeles	Ana Sato

Rankings

Summary

The top 9 finalists debuted as NiziU.
;Color key

	Cube was awarded
	Cube was awarded as a runner-up
	Ranked last; at risk of elimination
	Eliminated or withdrawn

''Part 1''

Nizi Project Part 1 focused on the auditions in July and August 2019 and the Tokyo boot camp in September 2019. Auditions opened on May 1, 2019 for girls aged 15–22 years old, with a total of 10,231 entries. 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. 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.
During the boot camp, the contestants were evaluated under four categories: dance, vocals, star quality, and personality. If Park felt a contestant satisfied one of the categories, he would award her a triangular cube to fill her Nizi pendant.

Auditions

Broadcast order	Region	Contestant	Dance	Vocal
1	Nagoya	Erina Hanada	"Candy Pop"
2	Nagoya	Rio Hanabashi	"Hoshikuzu Venus"
19	Nagoya	Miu Sakurai		"Good-bye Baby"
3	Sendai	Nina Hillman	"What Is Love? (Japanese ver.)"	"Brand New Day"
	Sendai	Kako Oguri
4	Osaka	Ririka Kishida	"Who's Your Mama?"
5	Osaka	Ayane Marutani	"Who's Your Mama?"
20	Osaka	Riku Oe	"Candy Pop"	"Hoshikuzu Venus"
	Osaka	Mayuka Ogou	"Candy Pop"
6	Tokyo	Akari Inoue	"BDZ"	"Brand New Day"
9	Tokyo	Miihi Suzuno		"Precious"
10	Tokyo	Rima Yokoi	"Bad Girl Good Girl"	"Irony"
12	Tokyo	Mako Yamaguchi	"You're the One"	"Freesia"
8	Tokyo	Hina Tanigawa	"Bad Girl Good Girl"
15	Tokyo	Maya Katsumura	"24 Hours"
16	Tokyo	Yuna	"Irony"
17	Tokyo	Ayaka Arai	"Bad Girl Good Girl"
21	Tokyo	Kyoka Taniya	"What Is Love? "
	Tokyo	Funa Takaya
	Tokyo	Rei Ito
7	Sapporo	Suzu Ozaki	"24 Hours"	"BDZ"
7	Fukuoka	Riria Ikematsu	"Candy Pop"	"Yasashisa de Afureru You ni"
18	Fukuoka	Momoka Hirai	"Good-bye Baby"	"Be My Baby (Japanese ver.)"
11	Okinawa	Moeno Yamashiro	"Who's Your Mama?"	"Yasashisa de Afureru You ni"
13	Los Angeles	Mei Plunkett	"Bad Girl Good Girl"
14	Los Angeles	Ana Sato	"What Is Love?"

Cube 1: Dance

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.

Broadcast order	Contestant	Song	Rank	Result
1	Maya Katsumura	"Dalla Dalla"	12
2	Miihi Suzuno	"Cheer Up (Japanese ver.)"	2	Won
3	Yuna	"Likey"	8
4	Ayaka Arai	"Dalla Dalla"	16
5	Riria Ikematsu	"Dalla Dalla"	3	Won
6	Rio Hanabashi	"Summertime"	9
7	Akari Inoue	"Dalla Dalla"	10
9	Mako Yamaguchi	"I'll Be Back (Japanese ver.)"	1	Won
10	Ririka Kishida	"Cheer Up "	4
11	Nina Hillman	"Dalla Dalla"	24
12	Rima Yokoi	"Fancy (Japanese ver.)"	7
13	Riku Oe	"Fancy "	6
14	Moeno Yamashiro	"Yuki no Hana"	13
15	Momoka Hirai	"Fancy "	15
16	Funa Takaya	"Fancy "	19
17	Mayuka Ogou	"Dalla Dalla"	21
	Suzu Ozaki		5
	Rei Ito		11
	Mei Plunkett		14
	Miu Sakurai		17
	Kyoka Taniya		18
	Kako Oguri		20
	Hina Tanigawa		22
	Ayane Marutani		23
	Erina Hanada		25
	Ana Sato		26

Cube 2: Vocal

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

Broadcast order	Contestant	Song	Rank	Result
1	Momoka Hirai	"Comeback When You Hear This Song"	11
2	Miu Sakurai	"Connect"	10	Won
3	Miihi Suzuno	"Yuki no Hana"	3	Won
4	Riku Oe	"Yuki no Hana"	4	Won
5	Rima Yokoi	"Dalla Dalla"	7
6	Maya Katsumura	"A "	12
7	Rio Hanabashi	"Yuki no Hana"	13
8	Ayaka Arai	"One More Time"	18
9	Mayuka Ogou	"Love Forever"	24
10	Ririka Kishida	"One More Time"	21
11	Nina Hillman	"I'll Be Back (Japanese ver.)"	2	Won
12	Yuna	"Likey (Japanese ver.)"	8
13	Mako Yamaguchi	"Yuki no Hana"	1	Won
	Suzu Ozaki		5	Won
	Riria Ikematsu		6	Won
	Akari Inoue		10
	Mei Plunkett		14
	Hina Tanigawa		15
	Funa Takaya		16
	Rei Ito		17
	Kyoka Taniya		19
	Kako Oguri		20
	Ayane Marutani		22
	Moeno Yamashiro		23
	Ana Sato		25
	Erina Hanada		26

Cube 3: Star

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

Broadcast order	Contestant	Act	Result
1	Erina Hanada	Cheer dance with "One More Time"
2	Ayaka Arai	Tennis lesson with "Cheer Up (Japanese ver.)"	Won
3	Kyoka Taniya	Cooking with "Cheer Up "
4	Riku Oe	Karate with "Again & Again"	Won
5	Ayane Marutani	Lock dance
6	Ririka Kishida	Ballet
7	Momoka Hirai	Interview skit
8	Mayuka Ogou	"Yuki no Hana" 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
13	Maya Katsumura	Reading "The Ugly Duckling" with self-illustrated storyboards	Won
14	Rima Yokoi	"One More Time" on drums	Won
15	Hina Tanigawa	Confessing with seven personalities
16	Miihi Suzuno	Baton twirling with "TT (Japanese ver.)"	Won
17	Miu Sakurai	Eating grapes with cream
18	Suzu Ozaki	Imitating Sailor Moon	Won
19	Yuna	Dance	Won
20	Moeno Yamashiro	Dance
21	Rei Ito	Dance
22	Ana Sato	Violin
23	Funa Takaya	Dance
24	Kako Oguri	Dance
25	Nina Hillman	Radio show with "Cheer Up "	Won
26	Akari Inoue	Cheer dance with "Fancy (Japanese ver.)"

Cube 4: Personality

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. 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.
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. The contestants with 3 or more cubes were allowed to proceed to the boot camp in South Korea.

''Part 2''

The top 14 contestants qualified to attend a boot camp in South Korea for six months, beginning in December 2019. 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. If a contestant ranks in the bottom twice, she is automatically eliminated.

Cube 5: Growth

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

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

Cube 6: Teamwork

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

Order	Heat	Team	Contestant	Song	Battle Outcome	Rank	Result
1	B	rowspan="3"	data-sort-value="Yamaguchi"	rowspan="3"	rowspan="3" Won	3	Won
1	B	data-sort-value="Katsumura"	1	Won	-	-	-
1	B	data-sort-value="Hanabashi"	8	Won	-	-	-
2	B	Heart Maker	Riku Oe	"Heart Shaker (Japanese version)"	rowspan="3"	4
2	B	Heart Maker	Yuna	"Heart Shaker (Japanese version)"	12		-
2	B	Heart Maker	Momoka Hirai	"Heart Shaker (Japanese version)"	13		-
3	A	rowspan="3"	data-sort-value="Suzuno"	rowspan="3"	rowspan="3" Won	6	Won
3	A	data-sort-value="Yokoi"	2	Won	-	-	-
3	A	data-sort-value="Arai"	7	Won	-	-	-
4	A	Seaside Fairies	Nina Hillman	"Dance the Night Away"	rowspan="4"	9
4	A	Seaside Fairies	Mayuka Ogou	"Dance the Night Away"	11		-
4	A	Seaside Fairies	Riria Ikematsu	"Dance the Night Away"	10		-
4	A	Seaside Fairies	Akari Inoue	"Dance the Night Away"	5		-

Extreme Sports Fest

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. The Extreme Sports Fest was hosted by 2PM member Wooyoung with Ji Suk-woo as his Japanese interpreter.
The contestants are split into two teams: the Pink Team, consisting of Mako Yamaguchi, Ayaka Arai, Yuna, Mayuka Ogou, Rima Yokoi, Riria Ikematsu, and Riku Oe; and the Mint Team, consisting of Rio Hanabashi, Miihi Suzuno, Akari Inoue, Maya Katsumura, Momoka Hirai, and Nina Hillman. The pink team won, earning tickets to an amusement park.

Cube 7: Image

In episodes 17 and 18, for the seventh cube, Park assigned the groups each a song he felt would suit their image. Maya Katsumura's team won, with all team members receiving cubes. Additional cubes were awarded to Mako Yamaguchi, Rio Hanabashi, Mayuka Ogou, Rima Yokoi, Nina Hillman, and Riria Ikematsu as runner-ups. Momoka Hirai was eliminated for ranking last in two rounds.

Order	Team	Contestant	Song	Battle Outcome	Rank	Result
1	rowspan="4	data-sort-value="Katsumura"	rowspan="4"	rowspan="4"	5	Won
1	data-sort-value="Suzuno"	11	Won	-	-	-
1	data-sort-value="Inoue"	4	Won	-	-	-
1		7	Won	-	-	-
2	2K5	Mako Yamaguchi	"Heartbeat"	3rd place	1
2	2K5	Riku Oe	"Heartbeat"	3rd place	10
2	2K5	Mayuka Ogou	"Heartbeat"	3rd place	3
2	2K5	Ayaka Arai	"Heartbeat"	3rd place	12
2	2K5	Momoka Hirai	"Heartbeat"	3rd place	13
3	We Bling	Rima Yokoi	"Icy"	2nd place	6
3	We Bling	Nina Hillman	"Icy"	2nd place	8
3	We Bling	Rio Hanabashi	"Icy"	2nd place	2
3	We Bling	Riria Ikematsu	"Icy"	2nd place	9

Cube 8: Finals

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. The groups were evaluated by Park, 2PM member Wooyoung and Twice member Momo.
In both rounds, the teams would perform new songs originally composed by Park. 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. In the second round, both teams performed "Make You Happy", with Yamaguchi's team winning. During the rank announcements, Park announced the top 9 contestants, who were chosen to debut in NiziU.

Aftermath

The top 9 finalists debuted as NiziU.
Some trainees formed/joined with groups:
* Kyoka Taniya debuted in Give & Give, a girl group managed by CyberAgent.
* 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:
* Ririka Kishida and Miu Sakurai competed in Mnet's reality competition program, Girls Planet 999, as members of its Japanese division, J-Group.
* Funa Takaya competed in JTBC's reality competition program, R U Next?, as a Belift Lab trainee.
* Miu Sakurai will compete in TBS and Lemino's reality competition program, Produce 101 Japan The Girls.

Sequel

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. Applications for boys from 14 to 22 years old are open from July 2021 to October 2021. 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. The contestants will be evaluated in five categories: vocal, dance, rap, modeling, and composing/lyricism. The members for the group will be finalized and announced in December 2022.