Produce 101 Japan The Girls (プロデュース ワンオーワン ジャパン ザ ガールズ; stylized in all caps) is the third season of the reality competition show Produce 101 Japan, the Japanese version of Produce 101. The show brings together 101 contestants with the intention of producing an eleven-member girl group.
The show premiered on October 5, 2023,[1] and is broadcast on Lemino every Thursday at 21:00 JST (GMT+9).[2] Each episode is rerun on YouTube with English subtitles the following Monday at 21:00 JST (GMT+9).[3] Additionally, the final episode will be aired on TBS.[4]
Promotion and broadcast[]
On April 20, 2023, it was announced that Produce 101 Japan would be renewed for a third season, this time featuring all female contestants.[5] The show is being produced by NTT Docomo Studio & Live, Inc., a newly-formed joint venture between NTT Docomo and Yoshimoto Kogyo.[6] The show is being exclusively distributed by NTT Docomo's streaming service Lemino,[2] with exception of the final episode, which will also be broadcast by TBS.[4] The episodes are receiving a limited overseas distribution with English subtitles through Produce 101 Japan's official YouTube channel, where they will stay available until a week after their release.[3]
Applications were open from April 24 to May 24, 2023. Any female aspirants aged 15 and up who had no current ties to a talent agency and completed compulsory education were eligible. There were no restrictions regarding nationality or country of residence.[6] Approximately 14,000 candidates applied, more than twice the amount as for the first season.[7] Two rounds of auditions were held for successful applicants from June 3 to June 25, 2023. Individuals who passed the second round were allowed to participate in the show.[6]
On September 2, 2023, this season's theme song "LEAP HIGH" (Japanese: LEAP HIGH〜明日へ、めいっぱい〜, Romaji: LEAP HIGH～Ashita e、meippai～; lit. LEAP HIGH～With all my might to tomorrow～) was released.[8] The following day, the profiles of 96 out of the 101 contestants were revealed.[7] The remaining five trainees had already withdrawn from the program and their identities were not disclosed.[9] On September 26, a press conference was held with the contestants, trainers, National Producer Representative Kimura Kaela, the show's ambassador actress and former singer Yabuki Nako, and MC Kushiro Moemi.[10]
Cast[]
The show is being presented by singer Kimura Kaela as the National Producer Representative. Actress and former IZ*ONE and HKT48 member Yabuki Nako serves as the show's ambassador.
- Vocal trainers
- Dance trainers
- Nakasone Rino
- YUMEKI
- Rap trainer
Contestants[]
- Color key
Final members of ME:I
Contestants eliminated in the finale
Contestants eliminated in the third elimination round
Contestants eliminated in the second elimination round
Contestants eliminated in the first elimination round
Contestants left the show
Rankings[]
Top 11[]
The top 11 contestants are chosen through popularity online voting through the Produce 101 Japan voting page on Lemino's website and audience live voting. Furthermore, National Producers can receive an additional vote per day by downloading the Lemino app. The results were shown at the end of each episode.[11]
New Top 11[note 1]
| # | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 5 | Episode 8 | Episode 10 | Episode 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yamamoto Suzu | Kato Kokoro ( 1)
|
Kasahara Momona ( 1)
|
Ishii Ran ( 2)
|
Kasahara Momona ( 2)
|
Kasahara Momona ( )
|
| 2 | Kato Kokoro | Kasahara Momona ( 2)
|
Kato Kokoro ( 1)
|
Kato Kokoro ()
|
Sakurai Miu ( 2)
|
Murakami Rinon ( 1)
|
| 3 | Ebihara Tsuzumi | Yamamoto Suzu ( 2)
|
Ishii Ran ( 4)
|
Kasahara Momona ( 2)
|
Murakami Rinon ( 14)
|
Takami Ayane ( 2)
|
| 4 | Kasahara Momona | Sakurai Miu ( 1)
|
Sakurai Miu ()
|
Sakurai Miu ()
|
Ishii Ran ( 3)
|
Sakurai Miu ( 2)
|
| 5 | Sakurai Miu | Ebihara Tsuzumi ( 2)
|
Yamamoto Suzu ( 2)
|
Yamamoto Suzu ()
|
Takami Ayane ( 1)
|
Yamamoto Suzu ( 9)
|
| 6 | Sasaki Kokona | Sasaki Kokona ()
|
Ebihara Tsuzumi ( 1)
|
Takami Ayane ( 3)
|
Ebihara Tsuzumi ( 1)
|
Sasaki Kokona ( 1)
|
| 7 | Ishii Ran | Ishii Ran ()
|
Sasaki Kokona ( 1)
|
Ebihara Tsuzumi ( 1)
|
Sasaki Kokona ( 4)
|
Iida Shizuku ( 3)
|
| 8 | Kitazato Rio | Kenmotsu Nano ( 6)
|
Kenmotsu Nano ()
|
Shimizu Keiko ( 4)
|
Kato Kokoro ( 6)
|
Shimizu Keiko ( 3)
|
| 9 | Takami Ayane | Tanaka Koto ( 4)
|
Takami Ayane ( 1)
|
Kenmotsu Nano ( 2)
|
Aita Rin ( 1)
|
Ishii Ran ( 5)
|
| 10 | Kato Kagura | Takami Ayane ( 1)
|
Tanaka Koto ( 1)
|
Aita Rin ( 1)
|
Iida Shizuku ( 10)
|
Ebihara Tsuzumi ( 4)
|
| 11 | Kitazume Sakura | Kitazato Rio ( 3)
|
Aita Rin ( 24)
|
Sasaki Kokona ( 4)
|
Shimizu Keiko ( 3)
|
Kato Kokoro ( 3)
|
First voting period[]
The first voting period has started on October 5, 2023, at 21:00, and will end on October 26 at 23:59. National Producers can vote for eleven girls a day.[12] Eliminations are based on individual total points.
Second voting period[]
The second voting period has started on November 2, 2023, after the broadcast for Episode 5 had finished, and will end on November 16 at 23:59 JST (GMT+9). National Producers can vote for eleven girls a day.[13] Eliminations are based on individual total points.
In Episode 6, only the names, not the ranks of the top 11 contestants were shown. The top 11 for the episode included Aita Rin, Ishii Ran, Ebihara Tsuzumi, Kasahara Momona, Kato Kokoro, Kenmotsu Nano, Sakurai Miu, Sasaki Kokona, Shimizu Keiko, Takami Ayane and Yamamoto Suzu. The results of Episode 6 were shown in Episode 8.
Third voting period[]
The third voting period took place from November 23, 2023, after the broadcast for Episode 8 had finished, and will end on November 30 at 23:59 JST (GMT+9). National Producers can vote for two girls a day. Eliminations are based on individual total points.
Between Episodes 8 and 9, an interim ranking was published alongside a preview video of the Concept Battle performances, revealing the current ranking for six trainees. Kamio Ayano ranked 26th, Kato Kagura ranked 25th, Aramaki Joa ranked 24th, Serina Saito ranked 23rd, Tanaka Yuuki ranked 18th, and Kenmotsu Nano ranked 17th.
Result[]
See also: List of evaluations
Episodes[]
| No. | Title | Original air date | International air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "First Meeting of the 101 Trainees & Level Placement Test" (練習生101人 初顔合わせ & レベル分けテスト) |
October 5, 2023 | October 9, 2023 |
| The episode begins with the audition teams entering the venue one by one. The contestants then choose the seat with the rank they expect to place and afterward, it is revealed how the other trainees have ranked their skills. Then, the National Representative, Kimura Kaela and the trainers enter and the first evaluation round, the "Level Placement Test", begins. Each team has prepared a performance that is judged by the trainers. The contestants are evaluated individually and assigned a grade from A to F accordingly. The episode ends with the "rebloom" team about to perform. | |||
| 2 | "Level Placement Test & Re-evaluation Test" (レベル分けテスト & 再評価テスト) |
October 12, 2023 | October 16, 2023 |
| The "Level Placement Test" continues and the final twelve teams perform. After all the contestants have received their grades, they begin training for their next mission: the "Re-evaluation Test". Contestants are grouped together by grade and learn the choreography and lyrics to the theme song "LEAP HIGH" under the trainers' instruction. After practice has ended, each contestant performs the song in front of the trainers, who will then decide whether they will re-assign them a new grade or keep the original one. | |||
| 3 | "Level Placement Re-evaluation & Group Battle" (レベル分け再評価 & グループ評価) |
October 19, 2023 | October 23, 2023 |
| Each of the contestants receives a card with their new grade. After opening it, they join their newly assigned class and keep practicing for the theme song stage. Then, everyone from A class gets a chance to audition for the center position and solo parts, and the remaining contestants vote for the trainee they think is most suitable. Additionally, the A class trainees will compete for three solo parts. Yamamoto Suzu, Ebihara Tsuzumi, and Sakaguchi Rino are announced as the winners for the solo parts, while Sakurai Miu and Ishii Ran are announced as the finalists for the center position. Sakurai Miu eventually secures the spot and the theme song stage is recorded with her at the center.
Afterwards, the next test is announced: the "Group Battle". The member who gets to choose her team first is selected through a lottery and Ishii Ran is chosen to go first. Once almost all the contestants have joined a team, it's announced that center Sakurai Miu gets to "steal" members of other teams for her own one. This leads to a reshuffle of the teams as slots for "stolen" members have to be filled again. The teams then decide which songs they want to perform for the next evaluation and the stages commence, starting with the first "How You Like That" team. | |||
| 4 | "Group Battle Second Half" (グループバトル後半戦) |
October 26, 2023 | October 30, 2023 |
| The remaining teams for the Group Battle perform, starting with the second "Hype Boy" team. After all performances have concluded, it is revealed that the second "Body & Soul" team has scored the highest out of all during the live audience vote. Additionally, each member of every winning team will receive an additional 3,000 votes on top of their live audience votes. With the benefit, Ebihara Tsuzumi places first during the ranking announcement. Takami Ayane and Kitazume Sakura rank second and third, respectively. The rest of the top eleven spots are filled by Ishii Ran, Kasahara Momona, Sasaki Tsukushi, Nakano Kokona, Takahashi Hina, Takabatake Momoka, Aoki Yuka, and Nakayama Honoka. | |||
| 5 | "1st Ranking Announcement Ceremony" (第1回順位発表式) |
November 2, 2023 | November 6, 2023 |
| The 1st Ranking Announcement Ceremony begins. First, the trainees ranked 49th to 12th are announced before the Top 11 are revealed, starting from the bottom. Aita Rin ranks 11th, having risen 24 spots since the previous rankings. Tanaka Koto, Takami Ayane, Kenmotsu Nano, Sasaki Kokona, Ebihara Tsuzumi, Yamamoto Suzu, Miu Sakurai, and Ishii Ran are announced for the ranks 10 to 3, respectively. Finally, the top two candidates for first place are unveiled: Kasahara Momona and Kato Kokoro. Kasahara Momona ultimately secures the top rank with 1,768,859 votes, while Kato Kokoro follows with 1,746,344 votes. Lastly, Otsubo Karen manages to place 50th and therefore remains in the competition. The episode ends with a preview of the next evaluation, called the "Position Battle". | |||
| 6 | "Position Battle First Half" (ポジションバトル前半) |
November 9, 2023 | November 13, 2023 |
| The trainees gather in the auditorium and the show's ambassador Yabuki Nako reveals and explains the second mission. The Position Battle starts and each contestant has to choose one of the ten songs divided into the three categories "Vocal", "Dance", and "Rap & Vocal". The winner from each performance in the vocal, dance, and rap positions will receive 10,000 votes while the winner among all songs of each category will receive an additional 100,000 votes. It is also revealed that the Dance song "Run Run" by PROWDMON and LAS is a Double Mission where both bonuses are doubled only if the team places first in the category; otherwise the team will have their votes reset to zero. The performances begin, with the "WA DA DA" team performing first and ending with the "Shine A Light" team. | |||
| 7 | "Position Battle Second Half" (ポジションバトル後半戦) |
November 16, 2023 | November 20, 2023 |
| The remaining performances for the Position Battle are revealed. Then the winning trainees for each category is announced: Takabatake Momoka from "Omokage" team places first in Vocal category, Ishii Ran from "Rocketeer" team places first in Dance category, and Shimizu Keiko from "Bijin" team places first in the Rap & Vocal category, each securing an additional 100,000 votes. It is also revealed that since the "Run Run" team was unable to place first in Dance, all members will have their votes reset to zero. | |||
| 8 | "2nd Ranking Announcement Ceremony" (第2位ランキング発表式) |
November 23, 2023 | November 27, 2023 |
| Kimura Kaela explains the third mission, the "Concept Evaluation", to the trainees. Trainees are assigned to one of five songs based on audience votes between the broadcasts of episodes 5 and 6, but only those who survive the second elimination will be able to perform them.
Then, the 2nd Ranking Announcement Ceremony begins. First, the trainees ranked 34th to 12th are announced before the Top 11 are revealed. Sasaki Kokona ranks 11th, followed by Aita Rin, Kenmotsu Nano, Shimizu Keiko, Ebihara Tsuzumi, Takami Ayane, and Yamamoto Suzu for the ranks 10 to 5. Finally, the top four candidates for first place and their total votes are unveiled: Ishii Ran, Kasahara Momona, Kato Kokoro, and Sakurai Miu. Sakurai Miu ranks 4th with 1,963,368 votes, Kasahara Momona ranks 3rd with 1,982,944 votes, Kato Kokoro ranks 2nd with 2,130,005 votes, and Ishii Ran ultimately secures the top rank with 2,449,217 votes. Lastly, Yoshida Hana manages to place 35th and therefore remains in the competition. | |||
| 9 | "Concept Battle Evaulation" (コンセプトバトルの評価) |
November 30, 2023 | December 4, 2023 |
| After the 2nd Ranking Announcement Ceremony, the teams must be reorganized due to an uneven distribution of members. Teams with more than seven members must vote on who stays, with those being removed joining a team with less than seven members. This episode shows the live performances for all five concept evaluations. Then the rankings for each team and trainee are revealed. "Popcorn" team places fifth with 59 votes, "AtoZ" and "小悪魔 (Baddie)" tie for third with 67 votes each, "TOXIC" places second with 143 votes, and "&ME" places first with 152 votes. Within the "&ME" team, Ebihara Tsuzumi places first and earns 100,000 votes, Sakurai Miu places second and earns 50,000 votes, Momona Kasahara places third and earns 40,000 votes, Kato Kokoro and Yamamoto Suzu tie for fourth and earn 25,000 votes each, Aita Rin places sixth and earns 10,000 votes, and Tanaka Koto ranks seventh and earns 0 votes. | |||
| 10 | "3rd Ranking Announcement Ceremony" (第3位ランキング発表式) |
December 7, 2023 | December 11, 2023 |
| The 3rd Ranking Announcement Ceremony begins where it is revealed that only the top 20 trainees will remain. First, the trainees ranked 19th to 12th are announced before the Top 11 are revealed. Shimizu Keiko ranks 11th, followed by Iida Shizuku, Aita Rin, Kato Kokoro, Sasaki Kokona, Ebihara Tsuzumi, and Takami Ayane for the ranks 10 to 5. Finally, the top four candidates for first place are unveiled: Ishii Ran, Kasahara Momona, Sakurai Miu, and Murakami Rinon. Ishii Ran ranks 4th with 400,320 votes, Murakami Rinon ranks 3rd with 481,635 votes, Sakurai Miu ranks 2nd with 481,838 votes, and Kasahara Momona ultimately secures the top rank with 650,828 votes. Lastly, Kato Kagura manages to place 20th and therefore remains in the competition.
Kimura Kaela then explains the final mission to the trainees: the "Debut Evaluation". The trainees must choose to perform either "想像以上" (Beyond your imagination) or "CHOPPY CHOPPY", along with their desired position. The order begins with rank 20 up to 1, giving higher-ranked trainees the advantage of stealing other trainees' positions and moving them to a different position. After positions are confirmed, the trainees begin practicing in preparation for the final stage. The trainees also practice for their final ballad, "FLY UP SO HIGH", written by Kimura Kaela since the show's premiere. | |||
Notes[]
- ↑ Indicates contestants who had never placed in the Top 11 in any prior elimination rounds or ranking announcements.
- ↑ Sasaki Tsukushi and Nakano Kokona both ranked 6th during the live audience voting as they both received a total of 84 votes. Hence why there is no 7th place.
- ↑ Ebihara Tsuzumi and Takami Ayane both received 475 votes and therefore both ranked 11th.
- ↑ Kato Kokoro and Yamamoto Suzu both ranked 4th, hence why there is no 5th place.
References[]
- ↑ 『PRODUCE 101 JAPAN』第3弾の正式タイトル決定 10・5「Lemino」で独占無料配信スタート (ja). Oricon (August 17, 2023). Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved on September 29, 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 「PRODUCE 101 JAPAN」シーズン3は初のガールズグループオーディション、NTTドコモの映像配信サービス「Lemino」で独占配信決定 (ja). The Television (April 24, 2023). Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved on September 29, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 「PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS」英語字幕付 海外限定配信のお知らせ (ja). Produce 101 Japan official website (October 4, 2023). Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved on October 5, 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 「PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS」テーマ曲動画解禁 101人の練習生は3日0時発表 (ja). Modelpress (September 2, 2023). Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved on September 29, 2023.
- ↑ 「PRODUCE 101 JAPAN」シーズン3始動決定 日プ初のガールズグループ誕生へ (ja). Modelpress (April 20, 2023). Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved on September 29, 2023.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 「「PRODUCE 101 JAPAN」シーズン3の詳細明らかに、8月～12月に合宿＆収録を実施 (ja). Natalie Music (April 24, 2023). Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved on September 29, 2023.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jung Joo-young (September 4, 2023). 元Cherry Bullet ココロから「虹プロ」「ガルプラ」出演者も！「PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS」の練習生が話題 (ja). Kstyle. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved on September 29, 2023.
- ↑ 『PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS』テーマ曲を公開開始！ (ja). Modelpress (September 3, 2023). Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved on September 29, 2023.
- ↑ Lee Seul (September 6, 2023). 日 걸그룹 버전 '프듀', 방송 전 연습생 5명 하차…"개인 사정" (ko). Xports News. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved on October 28, 2023.
- ↑ 『『日プ3』トレーナー陣が魅力解説 仲宗根梨乃が大興奮＆青山テルマが親心「大規模っす」「涙の場面が多い」 (ja). Sanyo News (September 26, 2023). Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved on September 29, 2023.
- ↑ PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS — 投票 (ja). Lemino (October 5, 2023). Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved on October 5, 2023.
- ↑ PRODUCE 101 JAPAN — 国民投票 (ja). Produce 101 Japan official website (October 5, 2023). Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved on October 5, 2023.
- ↑ PRODUCE 101 JAPAN — 国民投票 (PRODUCE 101 JAPAN — Voting). Produce 101 Japan official website (in Japanese). November 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.