| Timelesz Project | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | timelesz project -AUDITION- タイムレスプロジェクトオーディション |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Directed by | Yoshitaka Ito |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Tokyo and Osaka |
| Running time | 37- 41 minutes |
| Production company | Starto Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | September 13, 2024 (2024-09-13) |
Timelesz Project (Japanese: タイムレスプロジェクトオーディション, stylized as timelesz project -AUDITION-) is a talent competition reality show created by entertainment company Starto Entertainment (formerly known as Johnny & Associates) to add new members to the boy group timelesz (formerly known as Sexy Zone). The project involves the three current members of the group, Fuma Kikuchi, So Matsushima, and Shori Sato as they audition and select contestants from Japan and the United States.
Background
After the departure of Marius Yo from Sexy Zone (later renamed timelesz) in 2022 and Kento Nakajima in 2024, the remaining members decided to hold open auditions based on Kikuchi's suggestion. The selection of new group members through an audition process was later confirmed to be in a reality competition show format internationally distributed by Netflix.
Overview
A total of 18,922 applications were submitted to join timelesz and of those, 350 were selected for the second round of auditions held in Tokyo and Osaka, where the successful applicants were required to sing and dance songs selected from a list of approved songs by Starto Entertainment artists. Thirty-six contestants moved on to the third round where they are placed into groups and must learn a song and choreography within three days. The fourth round will narrow the number of remaining contestants to fifteen.
The final number of new members and who they are will be determined by the three original members of the group in consultation with the program's dancing and vocal trainers, NOSUKE and Miki Miyamoto.
List of contestants
| Name | Age | Region | Profession | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomoki Nishiyama | 24 | Tokyo | Dance Instructor | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Noa Asai | 17 | USA | High School Student | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Kaede Kitabayashi | 24 | Okinawa | Restaurant Worker | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Yuga Sano | 22 | Tokyo | Dance Instructor | Round 3 Elimination |
| Ota Kagaya | 20 | Hokkaido | University Student | Round 3 Elimination |
| Wataru Yamane | 22 | Yamaguchi | Italian Restaurant Employee | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Daisuke Maeda | 23 | Toyama | Karaoke Bar Employee | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Yoshiaki Takahashi | 25 | Tokyo | Gym Manager | Round 3 Elimination |
| Hiromu Honda | 23 | Kanagawa | Part-Timer | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Sota Sukegawa | 18 | Kanagawa | University Student | Round 3 Elimination |
| Takumi Maie | 27 | Ibaraki | Construction Equipment | Round 3 Elimination |
| Masaki Hashimoto | 24 | Kanagawa | Yakiniku Restaurant Worker | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Sota Saito | 26 | Gunma | Beauty Salon Owner/ Former Starto Jr. | Round 3 Elimination |
| Yu Okami | 24 | Aichi | Firefighter | Round 3 Elimination |
| Taiga Matsuda | 20 | Aichi | Cafe Employee | Round 3 Elimination |
| Roi Hamagawa | 18 | Okinawa | High School Student | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Rai Tsutsumi | 21 | Fukuoka | University Student | Round 3 Elimination |
| Taisho Maeda | 28 | Kanagawa | Former Idol | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Riku Nagai | 27 | Yamanashi | Dancer | Round 3 Elimination |
| Ikuto Kamiya | 20 | Aichi | Influencer | Round 3 Elimination |
| Shunto Ikeda | 19 | Saitama | Part Timer | Round 3 Elimination |
| Kota Shikano | 20 | Kagoshima | University Student | Round 3 Elimination |
| Hiroki Takayama | 22 | Okinawa | Part Timer | Round 3 Elimination |
| Ryota Ueno | 28 | Kyoto | Dance Instructor | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Atsuki Ide | 22 | Okayama | Sales | Round 3 Elimination |
| Shuto Inomata | 22 | Ibaraki | Painter | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Kenta Hino | 29 | Ehime | Singer | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Kazuki Numata | 26 | Saga | Rapper | Round 3 Elimination |
| Yutaro Yazaki | 29 | Kanagawa | TV Announcer | Round 3 Elimination |
| Taiki Shinozuka | 21 | Osaka | University Student | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Ryosuke Abe | 26 | Fukuoka | Pizza Delivery Worker | Round 3 Elimination |
| Ryo Suzuki | 25 | Tokyo | Phone Case Salesman | Advanced to Round 4 |
| Kazuki Matsuda | 20 | Kanagawa | Vocational School Student | Round 3 Elimination |
| Ayuto Kawamura | 21 | Mie | University Student | Round 3 Elimination |
| Kuha Sano | 19 | Shizuoka | Dance Instructor | Round 3 Elimination |
| Ryoto Iwasaki | 23 | Aichi | Yakiniku Restaurant Worker | Advanced to Round 4 |
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" (Japanese: episode 01 仲間探しオーディション、timelesz project 始動) | September 13, 2024 (2024-09-13) | |
| In the search for new groupmates, Fuma Kikuchi, Sou Matsushima, and Shori Sato of timelesz meet, interview, and watch the live auditions of the first half of the 350 applicants who have passed the initial screening process in Tokyo. Additionally, the trio provide insight into why they have decided to add new members nearly fifteen years post-debut. | |||
| 2 | "Episode 2" (Japanese: episode 02 出会いのその先へ…いよいよ3次審査 通過者が決まる!) | September 24, 2024 (2024-09-24) | |
| Kikuchi, Matsushima, and Sato, meet, interview, and watch the live auditions of the second half of the applicants who have passed the initial screening process in Osaka. The 350 individuals who were selected for round two are narrowed down to thirty-six people that will compete in round three. | |||
| 3 | "Episode 3" (Japanese: spexial edition-覚悟-) | October 11, 2024 (2024-10-11) | |
| Kikuchi meets with Shota Watanabe of Snow Man and discusses Watanabe's similar experience with adding three new members to the group shortly prior to the group's debut after the group's lineup had remained unchanged for seven years. Kikuchi also reads a letter from Ren Meguro, one of the three added members, about his perspective and experience as someone joining a pre-existing band. | |||
| 4 | "Episode 4" (Japanese: episode 03 3次審査開始! 候補生36名がチームパフォーマンスに挑む!) | October 25, 2024 (2024-10-25) | |
|
The thirty-six remaining participants are tasked with learning the choreography to "Can Do! Can Go!" by V6 in thirty minutes. The participants are ranked based on how well they perform the dance, with Wataru Yamane in first place. The third round consists of the participants being split into four groups of nine where they have three days to learn their assigned song. Kikuchi reveals that the number of participants that will advance to the fourth round will be fifteen based on their performance of either "SHAKE" by SMAP or "Monster" by Arashi. Blue Group is assigned "SHAKE" by SMAP but suffers from a power struggle between the assigned leader of the group, Rai Tsutsumi, and two other members which impacts the decision making and performance quality of the group. Tadayoshi Okura makes a guest appearance as a special trainer and expresses doubt that the participants are ready for careers as idols. Matsushima and Kikuchi advise Blue Group on how to better communicate and support one another. In their group performance, they were able to overcome their initial issues and receive positive reviews from timelesz. | |||
| 5 | "Episode 5" (Japanese: episode 04 3次審査 team GREEN密着篇) | November 8, 2024 (2024-11-08) | |
| Green Group is tasked with "Monster" by Arashi. timelesz finds the group's members promising but the group suffers from a lack of communication and group leader Daisuke Maida being unable to learn the choreography and lead simultaneously. Sato also notices that the group is too focused on themselves and some members seem to not be fully invested. They implement some of Sato's suggestions but the group still seems unconfident during their midpoint performance check. They continue to work on their critiques and receive positive feedback from timelesz in their evaluated performance. | |||
References
- "modelpress". modelpress. modelpress. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- THStaff. "timelesz's New Member Auditions to Stream Exclusively on Netflix". Tokyo Hive. Tokyo Hive. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- "timelesz project -AUDITION- Episode 1". Netflix. Netflix. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- 中丸銀河ちゃんねる (2024-04-09). 菊池風磨にメンバーオーディションのこと聞いてみた。. Retrieved 2024-11-16 – via YouTube.
- "timelesz project". timelesz project. timelesz project. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- "timelesz project -AUDITION- Episode 2". Netflix. September 24, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.