My Deer Friend Nokotan was one of my most anticipated anime for Summer 2024. The PVs made it look so insane that I couldn’t help but be curious. There was also the “Shikanoko nokonoko Koshitantan” meme, which started off with a clip of one of the main characters dancing to the first line in the OP, where the main cast sings the original Japanese title, over and over again. That meme has honestly been stuck in my head ever since I first saw it…help me.
Nokotan opens up with its main protagonist, Torako Koshi (Saki Fujita) heading to school as per usual. Because she watched too much Tokyo Revengers, Torako spent her junior high years as a Yankee/delinquent. Ashamed of her past, Torako has reinvented herself as the diligent and kind honor student and student council president at her high school. Things quickly take a turn for the weird when Torako encounters a deer-like girl named Noko Shikanoko (Megumi Han), hanging on some power lines. After Torako helps her, Noko decides that they are now best friends forever. She gives Torako and herself nicknames, “Koshitan” and “Nokotan” respectively. At the end of the premiere, she creates the “Deer Club”, where Torako is the president and is tasked with taking care of the local deer (and by deer, Noko really just means herself). Torako reluctantly goes along with all this as Noko is seemingly aware of her Yankee past, thanks to her keen sense of smell(?). Other than Torako, no one seems to question the fact that Noko is part deer (and yes, the show acknowledges that doe don’t have antlers and it doesn’t care about that in the slightest). Also, there are computer generated deer running around the city. Yes, all of this happens in the premiere.
There currently isn’t any explanation for any of this. How is Noko part-deer? How come no one besides Torako questions the fact that she’s part-deer? How can Noko’s sense of smell inform her of Torako’s past. What’s with all the deer? Unless you’ve read the manga (and assuming the manga has provided answers), your guess is as good as mine. It’d be really funny if this show actually has some really detailed lore that explains everything and it’s just buried in all the zaniness happening in the forefront but it’s entirely possible that there is no explanation provided. At the very least, Torako is just as confused as we are and that does help with buying into the plot.
While certainly a confusing experience, I do find the first episode to also be a funny one. There’s some banter and wordplay here and there. I particularly like the part where Noko convinces Torako to save her from the power lines by convincing the honor student that leaving her behind will haunt her until the day she dies. Really though, the episode shines best when it’s complete bananas. Noko enters the classroom by breaking through the door with her horns and all the debris injures the teacher and some of the students (and none of them even acknowledge the pain, the blood loss, or the brain damage). Everyone immediately believes Noko when she says Torako is a delinquent and they just as easily drop it when she does as well. Noko can apparently take off her horns (as well as her entire scalp) if need be. After school, Torako discovers that Noko has accidentally impaled herself with one of her own horns and that somehow doesn’t kill her. As mentioned earlier, there are bunch of CGI deers and I’m pretty sure the bad CGI is deliberate because the animators at WIT Studio choose to make every other animal look good. The whole episode comes across as one big shitpost and I couldn’t help but have fun with it.
Just by absurdity alone, this is one of my favorite premieres of the season. I’ll definitely be checking out more of the show. I’m not opposed to covering the rest of the show in episode reviews but that kind of depends on whether or not there is anything besides the insane comedy that’s worth talking about.
Watch My Deer Friend Nokotan on Amazon and Crunchyroll
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