Remember last week when Nokotan pulled a Mai Sakurajima and disappeared? Well, My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 12 decided that the plot point was completely unimportant. So nothing else came of it. Instead, we got assassins, dance competitions, and even more randomness.
My Deer Friend Nokotan Episode 12 Summary
As My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 12 kicks off, we’re immediately thrown for a loop. Trained assassins are descending on Hino to take Nokotan’s life. Is this impending threat rough hunters hell-bent on getting some venison? No! It’s the mascot assassins from the Deer Den, and they’re conspiring to drag Nokotan away. Because of this, the Deer Club must face its biggest challenge yet.
Or at least Koshitan has to face her biggest challenge yet, as Nokotan fails every test that comes her way. Be it guessing what Koshitan is thinking, break dancing, or keeping her composure, Nokotan fails miserably at every turn; the year of the deer this is not. But anime being anime, the power of friendship prevails, and it seems that Nokotan and the Deer Club have comfortable days ahead.
But peaceful days never last long in anime, unless it’s Non Non Biyori or Yuru Camp. But before Nokotan can breathe a sigh of relief, someone targets her again, and this time it’s set to be an all-out WWE brawl. And if you thought deer were tranquil, peace-loving creatures, think again. Deer kill more people than mountain lions and bears. So when she hears that violence is the answer to her woes, Nokotan quickly rises to the occasion. And so a training montage starts—a montage that I have to point out was probably Koshitan’s way of landing long overdue blows.
But that training montage proved useless, as once more her opponent thoroughly beat her. Yet sensing that a loss here would be permanent, Nokotan employs the “by any means necessary” tactic and drops bombs like the US Air Force. And it worked, as with that valiant show of underhandedness, she managed to secure her place in the Deer Club. And the power of friendship prevails.
Overall Review
I will always love any show that is random from beginning to end. And My Deer Friend Nokotan nailed that aspect. We went through a whole season without a single clue as to what the overall plot was. Does that bother me? Not all. In fact, that’s why I loved this show so much. Does that bother other people? Let’s get into that. I took a dive into weebdom about eight years ago, and in that period, I’ve watched a little under 1000 shows. Over those 8 years, I’ve seen quite a few shows be hyped up to the sky and fall flat. I’ve also seen quite a few shows come in with little fanfare and dominate social media *coughs Maho Ako coughs*.
But My Deer Friend Nokotan gave me a novel experience. For the first time ever, I saw a show being heralded as the comedy hit of the decade on a few teasers. But not all was as it seemed. The people who read the source material contradicted those claims, and they contradicted it heavily. Personally, I hadn’t read the manga. But knowing I was going to cover it, I checked out a few chapters. And I instantly realized that the show was going to heavily lean on kawaii waifus, gag jokes, and repetitive comedy; something I knew was going to disappoint a lot of people. And once it aired, two big issues immediately came up. The subs for the first episode were as stable as a yandere after seeing her crush talk to someone, and the show itself streamed overseas days later than its Japanese broadcast (something that was later rectified). That put off a lot of people really fast, but does that mean the show was bad? Hell no.
It easily gets my vote for the show of the season. I adored the voice acting in the show. And the absurd randomness was mesmerizing. I’m smitten with shows that throw in random plot points and then never expand on them. Life doesn’t give you closure on most things; why should anime be any different? The main duo was loveable, and I empathize with Koshitan on a spiritual level. I too would have a peaceful life long removed from my delinquent past if I didn’t have a pestering friend bringing it up every other day.
While the humor is repetitive, it always got a chuckle out of me. And I’m the type of person who doesn’t believe in the word “joy.” However, I do have one complaint about the show. There was something I was hoping would get answered along the way, but it never did. Why are humans not deer? It seems like a gag comment, but something about it really shook me. Should that be taken at face value, or does it hide a deeper question? Is that question the musings of an author who has recognized how far we’ve drifted from the harmonious relationship we once had with nature? I guess that’s for us to answer ourselves. As always, thanks for reading.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
© Oshioshio, Kodansha / Hino Minami High School Deer Club
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