My Deer Friend Nokotan Episode 4 - Don't Trust Bushy Eyebrows

My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 4 is out, and it’s caused some introspection on my part. It has been longer than two fortnights since the phrase “shikanokonokonokokoishtantan” ravaged my soul like Guatemalan tap water ravages the stomachs of unsuspecting tourists.

Life Advice With JP

Writers are a conceited and emotionally malnourished bunch. Imagine having a sense of ego so inflated that you decide you can make something as tedious as reading interesting. It’s the height of delusion. But, like Megumin in KonoSuba, I’m prone to delusion. I also fancy myself a keyboard life guru. Not only do I throw words out into the world, but I believe people can better themselves from the piffle I pass off as entertainment. And, if you ever take anything I say to heart, let it be this; “NEVER TRUST A GIRL WITH WEIRD EYEBROWS.” That’s the female equivalent of a guy in a MAGA hat saying he’s into NTFs and crypto. You can’t find a brighter red flag if you look.

And as My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 4 introduces the rest of the student council and, with them, a plankton-sized Nekoyamada-san. Her dastardly thoughts are so vile that it should be enough to let my advice ring true. She’s like the one ring, full of vitriol and hate. She wants to get rid of the Deer Club like Sauron wants to get rid of the age of man. And why does she want to do that? Because she’s jealous of Koshitan and her achievements. Her heart, much like her height, may be on the small side, but her hate reaches the sky.

The Hino Minami High School

In the last episode and this one, I thought Koshitan’s eye lacked their former luster. Those beautiful heliotrope gradient eyes that made me swoon lost their color like a valley before the winter frost. Now I know why. Not only is there a height-challenged vice president with two caterpillars on her face and hate in her heart chipping away at her sanity, but there are two other problems.

There’s a secretary (Kinu Tanukikoji) who turns suicidal and spirals into a panic attack due to the smallest mistake (ahhh personal representation). And a treasurer (Ryo Yamada Chiharu Tsubameya) who has the conversational skills of a dead deer but gushes over a certain well known deer.

The Thoughts of Former Delinquents

I never understood why one’s former actions should merit any detriment to one’s current life. We age, experience, and grow. That’s how it works. The me writing an Albedo article on August 1, 2024, is different from the me on August 1, 2014. Back then, I was slumped over a toilet in West End. While a call girl/city guide who was Victoria Justice’s clone lectured me about moderation.

Koshitan’s biggest fear is that people find out she’s a delinquent, so when she sees Chiharu at the Deer Club, it’s defcon 1. But why? This is something I never got. If someone fixed up their life to such an extent, they shouldn’t be ashamed, but proud. But maybe Japanese society disagrees with me on that. Either way, she tries to curry favor with Chiharu only to end up being seen as a deer toucher. And because of it, she once more lost in the kouhai popularity polls against Nokotan.

However, at least she has an opportunity to be an A+ senpai for Kinu when they get trapped in the school gym shed (can you say rom-com moment). Yet, in Kinu’s most vulnerable moment, Koshitan drops the ball. The only thing Koshitan can do is shout at a passing Nokotan to help them out, but Nokotan is lost in a ballad so soulful that it made Brett Michaels from Poison cry. Still, there’s a happy ending for all involved. Koshitan and Kinu are saved by a mushroom growing Nokotan, and the Deer Club grows with the addition? Visits? Of Chiharu and Kinu.

My Deer Friend Nokotan Episode 4 Comments

We’re 1/3rd of the way into this show and, while some of the tourist hype surrounding it seems to have died down, it’s still a pretty entertaining slice of life. Over-the-top antics aren’t for everyone, but they are for me. And the exaggerated reactions and scenarios that play out in this show are quite endeering. But, it pains my heart to say that even though My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 4 flew by, we’re still no closer to finding out why humans are not deer.

Screenshots via Crunchyroll
© Oshioshio, Kodansha / Hino Minami High School Deer Club