My Deer Friend Nokotan – Ep. 12 (Series Finale)

I should’ve seen it coming that Nokotan would completely ignore last episode’s cliffhanger and play it off as a joke. Part of me still would’ve like to see the show try to do something more dramatic but I must concede that the retcon is pretty darn funny. Rather than address Nokotan’s disappearing act, the last episode instead has her being confronted by the Deer’s Den, an organization comprised of various mascots that she was once a part of. The Deer’s Den wants to take Nokotan back so Nokotan fights for her freedom by competing against them in a couple of different games. It’s frankly kind of hard to root for Nokotan as she wants to be independent simply so that she can lazy and annoying but that’s besides the point.

There is some good comedy to be found here. I like how Nokotan actually loses all of these competitions and she gets by purely on technicalities. The last game in particular is hilarious in that Nokotan argues that she’s just as much of a winner as her opponent because she tried her best and the judges somehow concur to that logic. That’s such bullshit that I can’t help but find that funny. There’s also some other random gags that got a chuckle out of me such as the opponents simply wearing antlers to count as deer, one of the CGI deer being a judge for the first game, and Nokotan undergoing a Rocky-esque training music montage (complete with a riff on the Rocky steps no less).

That said, there are some misses in this episode. Often in the episode, you’ll have the characters, usually Anko, give some trivia regarding the mascots and the cities they represent. I imagine the plug-ins are mandatory for the show to use these mascots but it’s all a blatant ad and I could not stand it. There’s a time and place for that kind of material and an episode of a show about a deer girl is not it. Also unnecessary is the episode trying to justify some of its shenanigans by saying “screw it, it’s the final episode”. This show has been unhinged since day one. When has it ever cared about people thinking something stands out like a sore thumb?

And so ends the brainrot that is My Deer Friend Nokotan. You’ve probably noticed that I’ve gotten more critical of Nokotan as time went on and honestly, I think I was getting tired of the show. There’s some really good jokes to be found here, especially early on, but the show has its fair share of misses as well. It doesn’t help that the show was very content with its shtick, often repeating the same punchlines over and over again. I don’t know if mixing up the humor or adding more heartfelt moments would’ve worked out but it could’ve at least helped the show from stagnating. I can see this show getting renewed for a second season down the line. It seems popular enough to earn it. But given how the show has gone for me, I’m fine with what we got and I’m not exactly clamoring for more.

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Watch My Deer Friend Nokotan on Amazon and Crunchyroll