My Deer Friend Nokotan Episode 5 - Deerlinquents

My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 5 aired last week, and it’s made me wonder, who leads a more dangerous life? A former delinquent or a current deer? As a delinquent, you occasionally deal with a brawl or stabbing. But you don’t have to worry about getting mowed down by a mini-gun, that’s the worry of deer.

Nokotan fights for her life every other day, but Koshitan’s biggest woe is the love letter in her locker. Can I relate? Nope. The only time I feel nervous when I see a piece of paper is when it says “invoice” or “past due” on it. For a former delinquent with a maidenly heart, however, a love letter is something to swoon over. Yet, when Nokotan asks her if she’ll go out with the person who posted it, she pulls a rom-com protag move and goes all dere. I liked Nokotan before, but now I love her. Her disgust at Koshitan’s meekness was met with the same vitriol as a pro-choice advocate when she hears that ye ol’ Trump is going to have another go at the presidency.

Seriously, we need Nokotan to make a cameo in all romance shows. Too shy to hold hands? Insert a Nokotan screaming, “GET OVER YOURSELF, YOU BIG BABY!” An MC not wanting to confess? Insert a Nokotan screaming, “GET OVER YOURSELF, YOU BIG BABY!” An MC walks into his crush changing and doesn’t immediately tear off his pants like a Las Vegas stripper. Insert a Nokotan screaming, “GET OVER YOURSELF, YOU BIG BABY!”

To Koshitan’s dismay, it’s not a love letter. It’s a throw-down challenge. A challenge that the ‘reformed’ Koshitan wastes no time in responding to. In moments like this, it’s important to remember that violence isn’t the answer. It’s the solution. But despite her tiger-like spirit, she’s out armed with spiked baseball bats, chains, and tasers. My mind is known to wander, so when I saw this I tried to find out how delinquents in Japan brawl. But the first result was a VICE video. I would rather Amber Heard my bed and do that weird dog-butt drag than watch a VICE video.

So I had to watch the fight without any reference. But I do know that no matter where you are, if you pull out an explosive device in a fight, you’re on the winning side of that fight. Koshitan apparently doesn’t know this. So when she has the option to blow up her aggressors, she instead blows up her school’s auditorium.

Nokotan, A Homeless Vagrant or a God

As My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 5, Koshitan realizes that she wants her peaceful days back; she needs to find dirt on Nokotan. After all, they may be Deer Club associates, classmates, and maybe even friends, but what does she know about Nokotan?

Apparently, not much. She didn’t even know that Nokotan part-timed at the Hino Zoo deer exhibit or that she was the chosen one who descended from the heavens to walk among a golden field of deer. Yet, despite finding all this out, Koshitan forgets by the end of the day.

Never Trust Bushy Eyebrows

Short + cute + bushy eyebrows = trouble. I’ll repeat those words until I’m happily in the grave. And Nekoyamada embodies this saying, as she’s desperately trying to bring down the deer club. But since she has the wit of a deer stuck in headlights, Nekoyamada’s plans quickly fall by the wayside, and she begins to train as a deer. To her credit, she has the makings of a fine deer; she can grow antlers at will.

It’s not like I was jealous when I saw that Nekoyamada would make a fine deer. And I certainly wasn’t when she was awarded antlers. I mean, I can make a part of me grow at will too! And by that I mean my self-induced panic attacks. But with the comfort that she can make an A+ deer, Nekoyamada heads home, no closer to her goals.

My Deer Friend Nokotan Episode 5 Comments

As a huge slice-of-life fan, I have no major complaints about the series. But some people would disagree with me as there’s been more dissatisfaction voiced at the show by viewers who expected peak comedy or something different. But that’s why you never judge a series by the hype train. Dead-pan and gag comedy isn’t for everyone; shows like this aren’t particularly mainstream either, and even the highly vaulted ones aren’t a common watch for most people. That said, there’s nothing I’d change about it, well except maybe Koshitan learning to embrace deerdom a little faster.

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