| Taka and Toshi | |
| Active: | 1995 - (formed in Sapporo) |
| Employer: | Yoshimoto Kōgyō |
| Current Members: | |
is a Japanese manzai (stand-up) comedy duo (kombi) from Sapporo consisting of a.k.a. "Taka" as boke and a.k.a. "Toshi" as tsukkomi. They are under contract to the entertainment agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo. Formed in 1994, they are best known for their stand-up acts and as TV tarentos in variety shows.
As the boke, Taka is prone to silly comments, while Toshi is the more reasonable of the two, often criticizing Taka's remarks, shooting tsukkomi saying "such-and-such ka!" (i.e. "Ōbei ka!"), and hitting Taka on the head for his silly response.
"Ōbei ka!" (pronounced "oh-bay-ka!") is their most known tsukkomi gag. It is a sarcastic way of saying, “Are you Western?"
One example of their skits has the following lines:
Toshi: Let's have a drink. I'll have a beer.
Taka: Then I'll have a Diet Coke.
Toshi: You're not an American! Have a beer! And what would you like to eat?
Taka: I'll have a cherry pie.
Toshi: You're not an American!
Taka: A meat pie.
Toshi: You're not an American!
Taka: A chocolate bar.
Toshi: You're not an American!
Taka: Sushi and tempura! (with an American accent).
Toshi: You're not an American!
The comedians first met in 1990 at Nishioka-kita Junior High in Sapporo when they were both in the 8th grade. In 1994, they passed an audition held by Yoshimoto Kogyo. Initially working in Sapporo, the two moved to Tokyo in 2002 to work nationwide.
Regular
Semi Regular
Irregular