Prodigies (Japanese TV series)

Prodigies is a Japanese classical music talent show for singers, dancers, and musicians aged 8 to 16 and is based on the French reality competition Prodiges. All performances are accompanied by a choir of roughly 40 voices and a full orchestra of approximately 60 members under the direction of Kanae Dōmoto.

Unlike the original series in France, for which both episodes in each season are pre-recorded, the season finale in Japan's version is a live show for which the overall winner is decided solely by televoting despite the super finalists from each category being decided by the corresponding judge. The semi-final, however, is pre-recorded.

Series overview

 * Contestant mentored by Tomotaka Okamoto (singers)
 * Contestant mentored by Momoko Hirata (dancers)
 * Contestant mentored by Yasuhiro Kobayashi (musicians)
 * Contestant mentored by John Ken Nuzzo (singers)
 * Contestant mentored by Moné Hattori (musicians)

Season 1 (2021)
Here are the contestants and performance details from the inaugural season. Contestants whose names are in bold qualified for the season finale, while contestants whose names are underlined were the super finalists of their respective categories.


 * Musicians
 * Genjiro, age 14, piano - "Hungarian Rhapsody #2" by Franz Liszt
 *  Mariya , 12, violin - "Nessun dorma" from Turandot / "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
 * Keiju, age 16, saxophone - "Der Hölle Rache" from The Magic Flute / "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi
 * Rena, age 11, accordion - "Hungarian Dance #5" by Brahms / "Csárdás" by Monti
 * Nana, age 9, violin - "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley


 * Singers
 * Anna, age 14 - "Look to Your Path" from The Chorus / "Memory" from Cats
 *  Ema , age 16 - "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman / "Your Love" from Once Upon a Time in the West
 * Fumito, age 15 - "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto
 * Genzo, age 11 - "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" from La traviata
 * Hidehiko, age 16 - "The Cold Song" from King Arthur / "Una furtiva lagrima" from L'elisir d'amore


 * Dancers
 *  Banri , age 15 - "Reflections of Mufasa" from The Lion King / "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" by Rachmaninoff
 * Chigusa, age 16 - "Conquest of Paradise" from 1492: Christopher Columbus
 * Daichi, age 16 - "Oyfn Pripetshik" from Schindler's List
 * Koruri, age 13 - "Dies iræ" from Requiem / "Someone Like You" by Adele
 * Nonoka, age 11 - "Nothing Compares to You" by Sinéad O'Connor / "Serenade for Strings" by Dvořák

Results
The overall winner was 16-year-old Ema from the singers category, after she won the public vote by a landslide.

Trivia

 * Mariya and Keiju are siblings.
 * For Nonoka's performance in the semi-final and Koruri's performance in the season finale, one woman from the choir was given a microphone to sing the lyrics to "Nothing Compares to You" and "Someone Like You", respectively.

Season 2 (2022)
Here are the contestants and performance details from season 2. Contestants whose names are in bold qualified for the season finale, while contestants whose names are underlined were the super finalists of their respective categories.


 * Musicians
 *  Airi , age 15, violin - "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran / "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess
 * Daizō, age 13, flute - "Tenement Symphony" from The Big Store
 * Ginji, age 16, piano - "Fantaisie-Impromptu" by Chopin / "La Campanella" by Liszt
 * Ichigo, age 11, clarinet - "Ombra mai fu" from Serse / "Danse Klezmer" by Fröst
 * Tomoka, age 8, violin - "Violin Concerto" by Tchaikovsky


 * Singers
 * Honami, age 12, - "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz / "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera
 * Hiroji, age 11, - "Panis Angelicus" by César Franck
 *  Kon , age 16, - "Nell tue mani" by Andrea Bocelli / "Toreador Song" from Carmen
 * Seira, age 15, - "Casta Diva" from Norma / "Les oiseaux dans la charmille" from The Tales of Hoffmann
 * Yukina, age 13, - "L'ho perduta, me meschina" from The Marriage of Figaro


 * Dancers
 * Chōbyō, age 14, - "The Medallion Calls" from Pirates of the Caribbean / "Overture" from William Tell
 * Hidemaro, age 15, - "Hedwig's Theme" from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 *  Sana , age 12, - "Zombie" by The Cranberries / "My Way" by Frank Sinatra
 * Sarina, age 11, - "Chants d'Espagne" by Isaac Albéniz / "Shallow" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
 * Yuuna, age 9, - "Waltz #2" by Dmitri Shostakovich

Results
The overall winner was 15-year-old Airi from the musicians category, after she won the public vote 37%.

Trivia

 * Kon is disabled and handicapped, unable to walk properly, thus being in a wheelchair pushed by his sister Marika.
 * For Seira's performance in the season finale, one man from the choir was given a giant "key" to turn on Seira's back several times to get her to stand up, as is common with other performances of "Les oiseaux dans la charmille".
 * Only a day after the semi-final aired, Yukina revealed that she wanted to be voted off, saying the show was too stressful.

Season 3 (2023)
Here are the contestants and performance details from season 3. Contestants whose names are in bold qualified for the season finale, while contestants whose names are underlined were the super finalists of their respective categories.


 * Musicians
 * Mayuka, age 8, violin - "Flower Duet" from Lakmé / "Chôros bis" by Villa-Lobos
 * Nami, age 12, trumpet - "Pomp and Circumstance" by Elgar
 * Osamu, age 13, guitar - "Tico-Tico no Fubá" by Abreu / "Asturias" by Albéniz
 *  Yuzuru , age 14, piano - "Piano Sonata #14" by Beethoven / "Polonaise Op. 53" by Chopin
 * Zenji, age 16, clarinet - "My Girl's P*ssy" by Roy


 * Singers
 * Ageha, age 14 - "Nella Fantasia" by Sarah Brightman / "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Rinaldo
 * Daigo, age 15 - "O du mein holder Abendstern" from Tannhäuser
 * Hisato, age 11 - "O sole mio" by Di Capua and Capurro / "Va, pensiero" from Nabucco
 *  Masae , age 12 - "Parla più piano" by Rota / "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" from Carmen
 * Mei, age 16 - "La mamma morta" from Andrea Chénier


 * Dancers
 * Gakuto, age 13 - "Nemalo vremeni proshlo s tekh por" from Prince Igor
 * Hiroji, age 13 - "Gabriel's Oboe" by Morricone / "The River Cam" by Whitacre
 *  Kie , age 14 - "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" by Nyman / "The Blue Danube" by Strauss
 * Miya, age 11 - "Adagio in G minor" by Giazotto / "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" from The Tales of Hoffmann
 * Shina, age 16 - "Chant de Linos" by Jolivet

Results
The overall winner was 12-year-old Masae from the singers category, after she won the public vote 37%.