Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan

Torako Koshi is the epitome of perfection. With her peerless beauty, top-notch grades, and position as student council president, her popularity in school is unrivaled. However, she harbors a dark secret—she was a delinquent back in middle school—and this is something she conceals to the best of her abilities.

Unfortunately, when she meets the mysterious deer girl Noko Shikanoko, Torako's hidden shame is constantly on the precipice of being exposed due to Shikanoko's rather weird antics. To maintain the reputation she worked so hard for, Torako must go along with Shikanoko's whims, even going so far as to become president of the newly established Deer Club. All her efforts will be rewarded if she can prevent the menacing doe from accidentally blurting out damaging details about her personal history that will undoubtedly unleash Torako's greatest nightmare.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Shikanoko, Noko Main

Han, Megumi Japanese

Bashame, Meme Main

Izumi, Fuuka Japanese

Koshi, Torako Main

Fujita, Saki Japanese

Koshi, Anko Main

Tanabe, Rui Japanese

Nekoyamada, Neko Supporting

Kubo, Yurika Japanese

Tanukikouji, Kinu Supporting

Tsuchiya, Rio Japanese

Tsubameya, Chiharu Supporting

Akasaki, Chinatsu Japanese

Narrator Supporting

Toriumi, Kousuke Japanese

Tsubameya, Yoshiharu Supporting

Eguchi, Takuya Japanese

Ukai Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko Japanese

Fujiyama, Naokado Producer

Matsumoto, Hitoshi Producer

Lu, Xing Cheng Producer

Ootani, Joe Producer

Reviews

Sep 18, 2024

KANLen09

Recommended

My Deer Friend Nokotan - Has AniManga gone too far trying to find a fit into cultural relevance, being too much of something that never ended being a good thing...or is it? Also, why are humans not deer?

Take a gander around the AniManga industry since the turn of the millennium, and a quarter-century later, anime has become quite the boom since post-COVID 2020s globally. But within its home region, Japan has always been headfirst at setting the anime Billboard trend of What's Hot to decide since its boom in the late 1970s and early 1980s to now, and the cultral effect is still felt today...with ... the overwashing of bad to mediocre Isekai/fantasy works, with some standing out amongst the pack to (objectively) good degree.

However, there is one genre that plays this game differently, and that is comedy, and for a very good reason. The "Comedy is Subjective" argument has been a mainstay, especially within the last 15 years or so for works that embrace comedy quite literally. Works like famed mangaka Hideaki Sorachi's juggernaut of the Gintama franchise, to Kenji Inoue's double-whammy works of the great Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu a.k.a Baka and Test series to the masterpiece that is Summer 2018's Grand Blue, as well as my subjected favourite of Rin Suzukawa's Asobi Asobase (from the same season), there are great reasons to why these shows could be part of the lists of Top 10 comedy anime of all time. And in this Summer season, more than anything, we have yet another contender for the exact same argument that couldn't have come at a better time: Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan a.k.a My Deer Friend Nokotan, the AniManga industry's second coming(?) of KyoAni's Nichijou, but only manifested in brainrot to the point of absurdity and disbelief, made by the one and only Oshioshio a.k.a Oshio-mama, the mangaka best known for being the famed VTuber character designer for Hololive's Amane Kanata and Nijisanji's Sorahoshi Kirame. And loyal followers will say that this work is her revenge against Hololive for what they did to Kanata with the disservice that she got. 

Shika! Shika, Shika, Shika, Shika, Shi...ka!

It's actually interesting how Oshioshio came up with this rather surrealistic premise...or rather, INTENTIONALLY made. The story goes like this: "One day, by chance, I came up with the idea of a girl character whose antlers were stuck on a door. I thought this could be interesting, so I thought of a story and other characters, and the work “My Deer Friend Nokotan” was born. Nokotan was not just any creature with horns, but I wanted it to be familiar and new, so I decided on a deer. In Japan, there are tourist attractions where deer are famous, which everyone knows, so I thought it would be familiar."

And believe it or not, Wit Studio producer Naokado Fujiyama took that assignment to heart and basically elevated Oshioshio's gag manga, with the help of the one-and-only person who is right for this rather insane job: director Masahiko Oota, who's directorial duties have always been with Doga Kobo in the 2010s with shows like the Yuru Yuri series, Winter 2013's Kotoura-san, Winter 2017's Gabriel DropOut, and many more. However, it's his work adapting managaka SankakuHead's Himouto! Umaru-chan in the mid-2010s, that would capture Fujiyama and the producers enough to want to have the acclaimed brainrot director to collab on the now insanely viral anime that has made quite the waves all around the internet, digging at our already inept human society's IQ down the drain even further. Even Gigguk a.k.a Garnt, has the cheek to exclaim that "this (Masahiko Oota) is a director that had his brainrot training arc, he was like: I've given the world (Himouto) Umaru-chan, but I have not gone far enough...we need to go further, we need to go further!" This is the personification of a shitpost anime, and lose your brain cells now because this ride is finna be a wild Skibidi toilet located in Ohio, Gyatt.

To say that Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan both set the trend and destroyed its record throughout the Summer 2024 season, is literally an understatement to the surreal degree. The TL;DR is this: the female MC, a former delinquent inspired by Tokyo Revengers's Mikey, turned goody-two shoes of her school being the student council president, meets a deer-human-hybrid, because she can be one hell of a mixed-gender odd ball of a Shika, being a girl but with antlers that only male deers will have. That coincidence meets both girls together in school to produce one heck of an insanity show where it's like the movie "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once," but you still won't know what shenanigans you're exactly in for. With a pristine walk filled with boss music that rivals Kimetsu no Yaiba a.k.a Demon Slayer's main villain antagonist Muzan Kibutsuji's Michael Jackson-inspired slow moonwalk, everybody accepts the deer-human-hybrid, Noko "Nokotan" Shikanoko for who she is, except that the student council president, Torako "Koshitan" Koshi, knows her shtick so well that she begins to question the sanity of her classmates and teacher who just goes with the flow and act like she's just a regular schoolgirl. To make matters worse, the mayhem doesn't stop there as Nokotan's antics force Koshitan to have second thoughts being forced to her will, even going as far as to create the eponymous Deer Club, adding in even more hysterical people who're just as crazy as they come...because no one's normal in their aforementioned Hinominami High School in Hino City.

That's Episode 1 in a nutshell, and it's unironically one of (if not) THE BEST premiere episodes of the season, telling us, the audience, that we are NOT ready for what's to come of the weird and batshit insanity that is Nokotan. Also, don't think too much about the show being a turn-off-your-brain delulu comedy series, because it is intentionally made that way, laden with deer crackers that can only be Fanum Tax-ed by Nokotan herself.

The VAs stocks arise stonks this season, thanks to famed stars like Saki Fujita for being famed Vocaloid Hatsune Miku, as well as Megumi Han, whom IMO, steals the spotlight for the Summer season in the female Seiyuu department, as not just the Bell Pepper child idol Kana Arima for Oshi no Ko's return for Season 2 with the much-anticipated Tokyo Blade arc, but also the titular weirdo of the hybrid deer. It's without a doubt that both VAs had a wild time of recording sessions just to showcase the limitless potential of Oshioshio's manga when it comes to pure, unhinged idiocy, so much so that as the series progresses, you don't start to question if the show was truly great or bad to begin with, but how far this acid trip of a gag manga will showcase anything AND everything that it so desires just to achieve what the staff team wanted out of the anime. Even it's side cast from Koshi's crazy yandere of a siscon through Anko, the rice-paddy fanatic of Meme Bashame (yes, her name is exactly just that, VA-ed by Fuuka Izumi as Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete a.k.a Gushing Over Magical Girl's female MC Utena Hiiragi/Magia Baiser), and even the student council members (none of which they're typical), you can loathe them all you want, but they're excellent characters who do their role justice, even if it's just for the sacrifice of the comedy alone. And however you deem the anime eventually to be the masterpiece or the dumpster fire that it is, it achieves the one SOLE thing that it's supposed to do: be viral and meme the hell of what is already an incomprehensible source material work to extreme insanity. And it worked.

Seriously though, the single-handed best trait of the anime is in its marketing (please SERIOUSLY take notes, producers), and this is where the series finds its strength being ingrained towards cultural relevance, not just on a domestic, but on an unpredecent global reach. More than just the erratic PVs, which get weirder with every release, within just the month before its debut, the Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitan opening jingle has become the talk of the town...and slowly becoming a viral riot hit all across social media, racking up millions in views and inspiring a whole host of influencers to take notes from the OP and make it their wholly own, from literate cosplays of Nokotan dancing to real-life deers, to MVs ranging from LittleVMills's Metalcore cover song, to the far ranges of Bollywood being a musical fusion fest that fits so perfectly, you could even make it your ringtone for your smartphone device. There's even an hour-long version of the jingle to test your mental capability of lasting just the repeated 5 second-long jingle for 60 minutes on end, so have fun with that.

All jokes aside though, the request from both anime and music production companies of Twin Engine and Lantis requesting music director Masamitsu Fujimori and composer Yuxiki Waga to concoct an out-of-this-world OP song that they ever mustered, and I have to say that Shikairo Days is the PERFECT brainrot of an OP song for the job. It has everything you ever needed to get to know the series in depth from the get go, from purely anime-only references like the all-female cast jumping together (which was a staple trait for moe shows back in the day, because everyone jumping together in the OP makes it a god-tier masterpiece), to clear-cut references like Dark Souls with the "You (Dead) Deer" reference, as well as Tokyo Ghoul with all the deer and the sky-land reflection. Even the title itself is a reference to Gurren Lagann's OP "Sorairo Days," and more by the stretch of imagination. You can't tell me that you've gone out and about the past 3 months, and NOT see a hint of the series' now signature brainrot of a jingle that completely took both the internet and social media to meme-level territory of hypnotic infamy levels. The ED, which is just a glorfied Nara Prefecture advertisement to see the creation of Shika-senbei a.k.a deer crackers, ehh...it's alright.

To make the icing on the cake even better, this is produced by one of the most GOAT-ed anime studios of all time at the helm. Wit Studio is in the midst of its comeback shedding its masterful past and trying to be different going forward, but IMO, Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan is the studio's newest Shingeki no Kyojin a.k.a Attack on Titan face of the 2020s, that the uncanny resemblance down to its Japanese-equivalent first-letter initials (SnK) has people like Gigguk exclaiming, "Wit Studio, quit Attack on Titan, to work on this show (My Deer Friend Nokotan)...we've gone from one of the most iconic anime of all time, to yet another new iconic anime of all time...but, BUT, DEER". From the insanities of the 3DCG deer that just baffles both the mind and the laughter-inducing medicine the first few times that they appear on screen for no absolute reason other than to be (extra) comedy relief, to the no-surprise great animation that Wit Studio is known for (despite having Studio Massket for production assistance), these two things shouldn't have worked for something that is completely pedestrian to the average Joe. But you know what, Wit Studio and Nokotan's staff team under director Masahiko Oota defied the odds to give us Oshio-mama's series that, for all intents and purposes, is something worth remembering in 2024 alone.

At the end of it all, Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan a.k.a My Deer Friend Nokotan may have been a show where not all the jokes landed, and some were on the verge of just being braindead and having nothing to offer to the point of being bland (which I totally understand and have been in those shoes within the weak episodes themselves), but this series is truly the pinnacle definition of "it's not for everyone", and the most important quote of all: Comedy IS Subjective.

Even if Nokotan gets all the love and hate one and all the same for 1001 reasons, I'd recommend you to at least try the 3-episode rule on this and see if it's your cup of tea. Either way, it's definitely a standout amongst the rather lukewarm Summer 2024 season, for better or for worse, for one thing and one thing only: being a perfectly curated PEAK brainrot of a WTF show.

Now, are you deer-ing enough to be willing to convert yourself to the cult of the deer? Come along for the ride...we're all en-Deer-ing for your arrival. Reject Humanity, Return to Deer...Shiiiiika!

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Sep 18, 2024

SanaeK10

Mixed Feelings

Well-written

Have you ever got the feeling that a show was only "just good", even though you've had unreasonably high expectations for it to be an all-time classic? Shikanokonokonokokoshitantan was the show for me, and the part that scares me is how my negativity may be a reflection of the existential reality that I'm getting older and am slowly losing interest in shows like these.

Let me explain. When I was younger, I've held Oota's shows (mostly from Doga Kobo, sometimes other studios) in high regard as some of the best examples of comedy: Yuru Yuri, Gabriel Dropout, Umaru, the first season of Minami-ke, hell even Uzamaid ... were all classics in my book, being exceptionally well directed comedies that are just the right amount of wacky while having memorable characters and scenarios. And there is Sabagebu which is arguably the greatest show of all time. So, after a lull in the 20s with a fairly mediocre Onipan, which I then chalked up to being a kid's show, him and his team are coming back with a new proper full length show in the form of a funny deer show. The OP came out and became a huge meme on YouTube, I don't know why, but that just hyped me up even further. I was ecstatic, finally I could relieve all those carefree days where I didn't have to worry much and could enjoy anime all day.

Then I watched the show. And then I finished it. I enjoyed it. I even thought it was fine, with a handful of exceptional, really funny moments. But that's the thing, maybe it's an age thing, but something felt missing from the show. Something that would have taken this show to all new heights and become an all time classic, but as it stands it's mostly just fine. Not that the show was lacking in wacky and unpredictable moments, it has that in spades. But honestly this time round I'm more attuned to the show's negatives than I am to simply accept the show on its own. The show's humor can honestly feel overly referential (haha the artstyle changed isn't that hilarious), or overly random but without an actual meaningful point being made. Then the more I thought, the more I am aware that the shows I mentioned earlier, back in the second paragraph... don't those shows have the same issues as well?

I can't go back and take an objective look at the shows I once enjoyed. If I were to rewatch those older shows, I will most likely ignore the same flaws I can't help but notice in Shikanoko. But the thing is, I'm afraid to even go back to those shows, and that terrifies me. There is a part of me that seemingly realizes that maybe my tastes have changed over the years, I've gotten older, and I have way more occupying my life than anime. And so, this brings me back to the show itself. Is it good? Yeah, I think it's fine. It's funny in a lot of places. But for all its worth, it just didn't fully click with me the way other similar shows have.

But crucially, is it all that different from the shows I have mentioned earlier? The sad truth to this is that, it really isn't. It's at its core, a wacky comedy that is very similar to shows like Yuru Yuri or Umaru, and the fact that I can't bring myself to enjoy this show as much as those shows shakes me to my very core.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Sep 18, 2024

ZeroMajor12

Not Recommended

OH MY DEER, this anime is just terrible. I can't stress enough how badly this anime does comedy and over relies on a single punchline repeated for 12 episodes straight. Where else would you find an anime that is called Brainrot other than Shikanoko? It is unfathomable how this anime managed to keep a fanbase after 3 episodes worth. I can't belie-

"And now, while my logical side is rambling, welcome to the intermission break, where we discuss the sheer deer of the deer anime."

Deer Mode: The deer opening is very endeering and by far the most deerlicious part of this anime. The cast brought out ... their A-game to elevate this opening up to an 11. It's also the single reason why my deer booty is watching the deer girl in the first place. Just as voice actress Megumi Han once said, "Don't think, just feel." To top it off, you're given front-row seats to some "Award-winning" ahh performances from Rui Tanabe and Megumi Han, particularly the former. She does the Yandere act so immaculately perfect, that you will be brought back to heaven from a single utter of her voice.

Deer Mode: I must stress further about the clever easter eggs the deer cast has managed to deliver, the deer eyecatchers, the 4th wall breaks, and pop culture as deeeee perfect reference for more laughs and giggles in the anime. In this catering of deer biscuits, we got your favorite memes appearing again in a deer anime, characters behaving normally in a chaotic situation, cults, Koshi Torako being the only sensible person in her group of crackheads. The deer card acts wildly. Maybe the true treasure were the deers along the way.

"Oops, looks like my logical side is getting louder. We'll be back shortly."

Logic Mode: The only good part about this anime is the easter eggs and pop references, anything else this anime has to offer is just complete garbage. The joke itself is so predictable that even a Scientologist can predict the next joke by a mile away, the delivery of the joke is so flat that any laugh you'll let out is just a blood-curdling one that makes you rethink about living life. It is just suffering to watch this anime and expect a single giggle from this anime. When you see Shikanoko open her head and you see the inside is empty, that's how much brain is given into these godforsaken jokes.

Logic Mode: I think the worst part about Shikanoko is that these characters are very inconsistent whenever you go into a new scenario. You can tell the jokes pretty much only focus on Shikanoko being an autistic deer for the entire anime and you have Koshitan watching her impulses going wild like a deer trampede. Any characters involved all act like nothing odd is happening and when you get to the extreme characters like Anko, she is just so tropey that it's exhausting. Nekoyamada and Bashame were acceptable at best because they were pretty adorable to watch. This is not a debate, you'll get some short giggles sure, but it is unlikely that you'll find yourself having a good time watching it from start to finish.

Deer Mode: But... the opening is fun!

Logic Mode: Well that's why you don't believe in the rumor "In every good anime lies a good opening.". I rest my case.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) KANLen09 - Jul 17	158 replies	by MaggieShmallow »» Yesterday, 7:57 AM
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