I. Background
The Nizi Project (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 version of TWICE.
Nizi Project is centred on JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young selecting members aged between 15 and 22 who will eventually debut 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 (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 with live commentary from the show's panellists.
II. Cast
| Region | Contestant | Age | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nagoya | Erina Hanada (花田 恵理奈) | — | — |
| Rio Hanabashi (花橋 梨緒) | 17–18 | Former EXPG trainee with Bunnies and Kizzy | |
| Miu Sakurai (櫻井 美羽) | 17 | — | |
| Sendai | Nina Hillman (ヒルマン・ニナ) | 14–15 | Child actress and television personality under the name Nina Makino (牧野 仁菜) |
| Kako Oguri [ja] (小栗 かこ) | — | Former member of GEM and One Chance | |
| Osaka | Ayane Marutani (丸谷 彩音) | 15 | — |
| Ririka Kishida (岸田 莉里花) | 17 | — | |
| Riku Oe (大江 梨久) | 17 | — | |
| Mayuka Ogou (小合 麻由佳) | 15–16 | — | |
| Tokyo | Akari Inoue (井上 あかり) | 14–15 | — |
| Miihi Suzuno (鈴野 未光) | 14–15 | JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 7 months | |
| Rima Yokoi (横井 里茉) | 15–16 | JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 7 months | |
| Mako Yamaguchi (山口 真子) | 18–19 | JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 2 years and 7 months | |
| Hina Tanigawa (谷川 陽菜) | — | Former member of TPD Dash! | |
| Maya Katsumura (勝村 摩耶) | 17–18 | Former YG Japan trainee | |
| Yuna (ユナ) | 15–16 | JYP Entertainment trainee; trained for 2 years and 8 months | |
| Ayaka Arai (新井 彩花) | 16 | — | |
| 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) | 16–17 | Former member of α-X's |
| Momoka Hirai (平井 桃伽) | 15 | — | |
| Okinawa | Moeno Yamashiro (山城 萌野) | — | — |
| Los Angeles | Mei Plunkett (プランケット明) | — | — |
| Ana Sato (佐藤 愛夏) | — | — |
III. Final Members
| Contestant | Rank | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Mako Yamaguchi | 1 | Won |
| Rio Hanabashi | 4 | Won |
| Akari Inoue | - | Eliminated |
| Yuna | - | Eliminated |
| Riria Ikematsu | - | Eliminated |
| Ayaka Arai | 8 | Won |
| Maya Katsumura | 5 | Won |
| Mayuka Ogou | 7 | Won |
| Rima Yokoi | 3 | Won |
| Riku Oe | 2 | Won |
| Nina Hillman | 9 | Won |
| Miihi Suzuno | 6 | Won |
IV. Sequel
On July 12, 2021, Park held a press conference announcing that with the success of the first season and NiziU, Nizi Project will have a second season to create another 9-member 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, modelling, and composing/lyricism. The members of the group will be finalized and announced in December 2022.
