Chiyo and Kei Takenomiya
Chiyo and Kei Takenomiya | |
|---|---|
| |
 Chiyo (left) and Kei (right) | |
| Born |
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| Nationality | Gylian |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Website | http://www.netstream.gls/takenogemu/ |
Chiyo Takenomiya (Miranian: 千代 竹ノ宮, born 7 June 1989) and Kei Takenomiya (Miranian: 啓 竹ノ宮, born 18 March 1989) are Gylian NetStreamers, known for their Let's Play series. As of 2019, their channel is one of the most viewed and subscribed in Gylias.
Early life
Chiyo and Kei are adopted siblings, raised by a Miranian Gylian same-sex couple. They were born in 1989, four months apart.
The sisters were interested in art and video games as children. They dabbled in music trackers, and studied graphic design and programming at the Federal University of Etra, graduating in 2010.
Career
In university, Chiyo became interested in Let's Play videos, then in their infancy. She told her sister she was thinking of making Let's Play videos for NetStream. Kei responded favourably and turned the project into a collaboration. She devised the channel's aesthetic, and went with her sister to film classes to learn filming and editing.
The sisters registered an account on NetStream on 7 June 2010, Chiyo's 21st birthday, under the name "Takenogemu". Their first video was uploaded on 12 June 2010.
Their early videos featured only gameplay footage with their voiceovers. They appeared on camera for the first time in November 2010, for a fan mail video. Their format has since evolved to include on-camera intros and outros — the former discussing the background of the game, and the latter thanking their viewers.
Style
The sisters' videos have a straightforward style of playing with humorous commentary. Level favourably compared their blend of "plain gaming, casually informative commentary, and goofball humour" to a Gynbris documentary series.
Much of their humour comes from their chemistry and contrasting personalities. Chiyo describes herself as "the quiet, careful younger sister", and Kei as the "boisterous, gregarious older sister". When playing single-player games, they take turns playing levels, with Kei humorously playing in a more reckless and fast-paced style. When appearing in camera, they wear a common "uniform" consisting of white shirts with red bows, yellow jackets, and pleated brown skirts.
They make frequent use of sampling from other media in their videos. One of their best-known running gags involves games that require significant backtracking or replaying levels. When the game announces that the player must do so, Kei exclaims, "...and you know what that means!", followed by sped-up and unedited footage of the backtracking, set to The Monkees' "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?".
Another running gag humorously implies they've edited out parts where they sang or hummed along with the game's soundtrack, with some quip about how "nobody likes Let's Player karaoke".
Production
Their videos feature polished production values. They edit their videos for seamless effect, cutting scenes where they lose lives or make mistakes. They include a great deal of information in their videos, both relating to the game and digressing into other topics while talking.
Chiyo and Kei have discussed their production methods in interviews. They first practice through a game by themselves to familiarise themselves with it. Afterwards, they record gameplay footage in one go, and sometimes rely on strategy guides and walkthroughs to ensure a level of thoroughness.
They record themselves improvising commentary while playing the game. While editing the video, they create the script for the final episode, using their best lines and improving pacing. They re-record the final commentary separately and insert it into the video, along with samples and other elements. The on-camera segments are filmed last, as they have a better idea of how the video will turn out by then.
Chiyo and Kei record their videos in Miranian, and add English subtitles during uploading. When asked in a fan mail segment if they speak English, Kei playfully replied in Miranian, "Yes, but not to you."
They split their playthroughs into videos by level, making them 8–10 minutes long on average, and upload them all at once to NetStream when they are finished. They generally try to complete a playthrough per month.
Choice of games
Chiyo and Kei have expressed a preference for playing platformers, RPGs, adventure games, and sports games, and a distaste for violent action games.
They have said their favourite Gyldiv consoles are the Ion and Dreamsphere.