My Deer Friend Nokotan Episode 8 - El Venao, El Venao

If you could be friends with a god, would you? Personally, I don’t think I would, unless maybe it’s someone like Zeus. I can see myself as a menace to society alongside him. What if your say in the matter was moot? What if, by the time you realize it, you’re already chummy with a being far greater than yourself? Well, in My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 8, that’s the scenario that Koshitan finds herself in.

A New Year, A New Nokotan?

I never understood the purpose of New Year’s shrine visits. Personally, I would rather violently step on a Lego than bring in the New Year surrounded by people I don’t know. My ideal way to bring in the New Year includes a tent and being miles away from civilization, but I’m different from Koshitan. My delinquency leans towards treason and sedition. Koshitan’s delinquency involves beating up high school girls in dingy alleys. So maybe she gets joy from New Year’s shrine visits. Either way, My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 8 starts with a shrine visit by the Deer Club, minus the actual deer, which is problematic. Everyone knows that the one thing more dangerous than a deer you can see is a deer you can’t see. This is especially true for Nokotan, as she surprises her clubmates by being the god of the shrine they’re visiting.

As Koshitan freaks out over this and ensures that she’ll go to an early grave because of all the stress she gives herself, a few things come to mind. Is Nokotan an actual god? If antler soup is made by stewing Nokotan, then isn’t that simply regular venison soup? Similarly, if gamer girl bathwater equals the water in which a dirty gamer is soaked, does that mean it’s human soup? Or is it only soup if fire is involved?

Life’s Just A Game

After their idle New Year visit, the Deer Club enjoys a laid-back episode where most of them spend a lazy afternoon playing board games. Nothing much about the second part of the episode would appeal to anyone outside of slice-of-life lovers. However, no way in hell would I give up the opportunity to tell strangers on the internet that seeing Koshitan dance around dressed as a half deer, half human, half idol—a mandeeridol, as the kids call it—made me really happy.

My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 8—Comments

With slower episodes like this, there’s never much to comment on. That’s not to say I find it dull. I can watch clouds all afternoon, and I’ll be the happiest guy for miles. My love for shows like this stems from that sentiment. I want a peaceful life where I do things I like without giving up too much of my time and soul to work. But by now, I’ve realized it’s easier to get 100 girlfriends, defeat a demon lord and bring about world peace than it is to have a peaceful life in this day and age.

I can’t wrap up this review without mentioning something that English viewers may not be aware of, but everyone south of the border certainly knows. There’s a song by Los Cantantes that’s been heavily associated with this anime in Latin America. All anime watchers have heard the sub vs dub argument. While I am not a fan of English dubs, I believe that Spanish dubs can duke it out with the original Japanese audio. That’s because Spanish speakers never hold back, and neither do Spanish dubbers. The Latin American streaming service Anime Onegai elegantly showcased this by executing a pro-gamer move of epic proportions in My Deer Friend Nokotan Episode 8. In the scene where the old lady is chanting as Nokotan stews, they actually use the chorus to ‘El Venado’ as her chant.

I saw that a few hours after seeing the English-dubbed version on Wednesday, and I laughed so hard that even now, when I’m writing this on Saturday, I still can’t talk properly. In fact, I’m pretty sure I blew my voice out. Thank you for that Anime Onegai. Now if only someone would tell me why humans aren’t deer, I could die happy.

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