Taka and Toshi (タカアンドトシ, Taka ando Toshi) is a Japanese manzai (stand-up) comedy duo (kombi) from Sapporo consisting of Takahiro Suzuki (鈴木 崇大, 4/3/1976-) a.k.a. "Taka" as boke and Toshikazu Miura (三浦 敏和, 7/17/1976-) 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.

Sketch comedy

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!

Biography

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.

Members

Takahiro "Taka" Suzuki (鈴木 崇大 / タカ, Suzuki Takahiro / Taka)

• Date of Birth: April 3, 1976
• Birthplace: Sapporo, Hokkaido
• Manzai Role: Boke

Toshikazu "Toshi" Miura (三浦 敏和 / トシ, Miura Toshikazu / Toshi)

• Date of Birth: July 17, 1976
• Birthplace: Asahikawa, Hokkaido
• Manzai Role: Tsukkomi

Awards

• Nationwide Yoshimoto Young Manzai-shi Awards presented by Television Shizuoka (テレビ静岡主催 全国吉本若手漫才) 1st place (1997)
• The 10th Warai no Kin-medal - Neta Battle (笑いの金メダル - ネタバトル) Gold medal (2004)
• M-1 Grand Prix (M-1グランプリ) 4th place (2004)
• The 7th Bakushō On-air Battle Championship (爆笑オンエアバトルチャンピオン大会) 1st place (2005)
• The 8th Bakushō On-air Battle Championship (爆笑オンエアバトルチャンピオン大会) 1st place (2005)
• The 45th Golden Arrow Awards, Broadcasting Award (Variety Section) (2008)
• The 8th Beat Takeshi's Entertainment Awards, Japan Show Biz Award (2008)

Media

External links

• Taka and Toshi official website provided by Yoshimoto Kogyo
• Taka and Toshi's videos that Yoshimoto Kogyo officially presents at Youtube