Cunning (Owarai)

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Cunning

Cunning (カンニング) is a Japanese comedy duo (kombi from Fukuoka Prefecture. Cunning consists of the pudgy, short-tempered Takanori Takeyama (竹山隆範), and the rail-thin Tadayuki Nakashima (中島忠幸). Known for his bursts of extreme anger, though said to be much more sedated off-camera, Takeyama is the boke of the unit. The tsukkomi, Nakashima, fell ill with leukemia in 2005 and has since been absent from work on indefinite leave.

The name of the duo, cunning, while meaning "sly" or "clever" in English, refers to the act of cheating on a test in Japanese.

[edit] History

The two met as classmates in elementary school, and began attending Yoshimoto's New Star Creation school together in 1992. They both began performing in Fukuoka under Yoshimoto with Takeyama wearing a red tuxedo and Nakashima wearing a blue one. Success didn't find them easily at first and they fell heavily into debt; the duo even broke up for a year. After reforming, they starting working under Sun Music Production and after managing to gain a little recognition, their occasional TV appearances elicited a positive response; they were even compared to the famous performer Beat Takeshi and the already popular kombi Tunnels (Owarai). They rode with the owarai boom in 2004 until it was revealed that Nakashima had cancer the following year.

While Nakashima no longer performs, Takeyama is still a popular variety show talent and is probably one of the most famous among Japanese comedians for his kire, or sharp temper. Perhaps wishing the quick recovery of his partner, even when performing alone Takeyama is almost always referred to on TV by his full kombi name, "Cunning Takeyama".