Nizi_Project
Nizi Project
2020 Japanese reality competition show
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 | |
|---|---|
Nizi Project logo | |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Created by | Park Jin-young |
| Theme music composer | Park Jin-young |
| Opening theme | "Baby I'm a Star" by Nizi Girls (Part 2) |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original languages | Japanese Korean (spoken) |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | |
| Running time | 45–70 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network |
|
| Release | January 31 (2020-01-31) – June 26, 2020 (2020-06-26) |
| Related | |
| Nizi Project 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.
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.[lower-alpha 1] 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]
| Region | Contestant | Age | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nagoya | Erina Hanada (花田 恵理奈) | — | — |
| Rio Hanabashi (花橋 梨緒) | 17[lower-alpha 2]–18[lower-alpha 3] | 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[lower-alpha 2]–15[lower-alpha 3] | 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[lower-alpha 3] | — | |
| Mayuka Ogou (小合 麻由佳) | 15[lower-alpha 2]–16[lower-alpha 3] | — | |
| Tokyo | Akari Inoue (井上 あかり) | 14[lower-alpha 2]–15[lower-alpha 3] | — |
| Miihi Suzuno (鈴野 未光) | 14[lower-alpha 2]–15[lower-alpha 3] | JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 7 months[4][18] | |
| Rima Yokoi (横井 里茉) | 15[lower-alpha 2]–16[lower-alpha 3] | JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 7 months[4] | |
| Mako Yamaguchi (山口 真子) | 18[lower-alpha 2]–19[lower-alpha 3] | 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[lower-alpha 2]–18[lower-alpha 3] | Former YG Japan trainee[5] | |
| Yuna (ユナ) | 15[lower-alpha 2]–16[lower-alpha 3] | 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[lower-alpha 2]–17[lower-alpha 3] | Former member of α-X's [ja][21] |
| Momoka Hirai (平井 桃伽) | 15[lower-alpha 3] | — | |
| Okinawa | Moeno Yamashiro (山城 萌野) | — | — |
| Los Angeles | Mei Plunkett (プランケット明) | — | — |
| Ana Sato (佐藤 愛夏) | — | — | |
Summary
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[lower-alpha 4] | 24[lower-alpha 4] | Won[lower-alpha 4] | 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[lower-alpha 4] | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 (eliminated) | |
| Sapporo | Suzu Ozaki | 5 | 5 | Won | 8 | Withdrawn[lower-alpha 5] | |||
| 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[lower-alpha 4] | 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[lower-alpha 6] | ||||
Part 1
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
| 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)[lower-alpha 7] | "Hoshikuzu Venus" (Aimer) | |
| — | Mayuka Ogou | "Candy Pop" (Twice)[lower-alpha 7] | 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
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
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
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
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[lower-alpha 6] | ||||
Part 2
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
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
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
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
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
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 | |||||||
- 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:
- Ririka Kishida and Miu Sakurai competed in Mnet's reality competition program, Girls Planet 999, as members of its Japanese division, J-Group.[35]
- 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.
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]
- 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]
- Age in Part 2.[11]
- Park Jin-young awarded some contestants with any of the first three cubes during the showcase in episodes 9 and 10.[27]
- Suzu Ozaki withdrew after Part 1 for personal reasons.[8]
- Ana Sato withdrew from Nizi Project shortly before the showcase evaluation in Part 1 due to a knee injury.[28]
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- "牧野 仁菜". Amuse Inc. (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
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- "アイドル界に新風～ライブ演出もこなす実力派グループがデビュー!". Oricon (in Japanese). January 5, 2014. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
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- Official website (in Japanese)
- Nizi Kake no Hashi