My Deer Friend Nokotan – Season 1 Episode 5 Recap & Review

Dig Up the Dirt!!

Episode 5 of My Deer Friend Nokotan begins with Koshi visiting school and checking out her locker. Koshi finds a love letter inside her locker. After sharing a fictitious tale with Koshi, Nokotan tells Koshi that the letter is a love letter. Koshi says she’s never gotten one before and Nokotan judges Koshi because of how she feels about it. 

Nokotan says she’s never gotten a love letter before, but feels there might be one in her locker. She checks her locker and doesn’t find a letter inside. Nokotan is upset but knows her anime and manga publisher must have received fan letters about her. After that, Nokotan asks Koshi if she’ll date the letter’s sender. Koshi says she’s unsure if she will and Nokotan ridicules her for her choice.

Nokotan changes her stance on the situation seconds later. She suggests Koshi take time to ponder things. Koshi understands and checks the letter, only to discover someone wants to challenge her. Koshi attends the sender’s challenge location. The sender arrives with two people. She wants to become the strongest girl in their city.

The sender argues she can’t accomplish that until she defeats Koshi. Koshi understands and is ready to fight the sender and her friends. Nokotan tells Koshi she’ll assist her in the duel and remarks she’s the strongest among her fellow deers. Koshi fights the sender and her group. However, Koshi gets overwhelmed by the group’s weapons.

Nokotan tosses Koshi one of her antlers. Koshi throws it on the school’s rooftop because it’s useless to her. However, the antler explodes, causing the sender, the sender’s friends, Koshi, and Nokotan to fly into the sky. Later, Koshi and Nokotan regroup with Bashame and Anko at the Deer Club. Koshi learns the school’s rooftop explosion made the news.

Then, we see Koshi observing Nokotan at the park. She wants to discover Nokotan’s weakness. Simultaneously, Koshi wonders if Nokotan is homeless. Koshi sees Nokotan eat her horns and Nokotan says she’s hungry. The former feels bad for Nokotan and wants to buy her a meal. Then, Nokotan removes her antlers, opens them up, grabs two bananas, and eats them. 

After seeing that go down, Koshi no longer feels bad for Nokotan. Nokotan departs to the Hino Zoo and Koshi follows her there. Nokotan enters Tsunoda’s exhibit and sits next to Tsunoda, much to Koshi’s shock. Then, two people visit the exhibit and Koshi can’t believe the two people aren’t questioning Nokotan’s actions.

Nokotan hands the people deer crackers to feed the deer. Nokotan bites one of the people’s hands, causing the woman to toss her into the crowd. Nokotan and the other deer leave the exhibit to participate in the Lord of the Deer parade. An old woman shares her thoughts on the parade and Nokotan starts glowing. Nokotan performs a strange ritual on top of the deer and notices Koshi. 

Koshi tells Nokotan she’s wandering around because she has free time. Nokotan asks Koshi if she wants to get bubble tea with her. Koshi accepts Nokotan’s offer and the two drink bubble tea together at the park. Nokotan and Koshi part ways. The narrator takes a jab at Koshi for dropping her trailing scheme. Next, we follow Neko, the student council vice president.

Neko knows Koshi’s busy with Ukai. She wants to use this opportunity to find Koshi’s weak point. Neko argues she’ll discover Koshi’s weakness by searching the Deer Club’s clubroom. Neko tries entering through one of the windows and Nokotan startles her. Nokotan thinks Neko wants to join the club. She leaves the clubroom and throws a small welcome party for Neko.

Neko tells Nokotan that she doesn’t want to join the Deer Club, and Nokotan’s upset. Next, Neko cheers Nokotan up. She does so by asking Nokotan to give her a tour of the Deer Club. Then, Anko and Bashame arrive and Nokotan insists they participate in some ex-deer-cises, much to Neko’s discomfort. Bashame introduces herself to Neko and asserts her dominance over Neko.

Anko introduces herself next and says she wants to become Koshi’s deer. Neko questions Anko’s words and Anko stares at her with menacing eyes. Neko refuses to discuss things further with Anko. After that, Nokotan presents Neko with a deer cracker as a part of her ‘ex-deer-cise’ task. Neko questions Nokotan about it so Nokotan has Bashame demonstrate what she wants Neko to do.

Bashame bites Nokotan’s hand, leaving Neko startled. Nokotan asks Anko to perform the same ‘ex-deer-cise’ but she refuses. The former informs the latter about Koshi’s activities. Anko departs from the Deer Club because she wants to mess with Koshi’s stuff at home. Nokotan tells Neko she wants to help her grow her antlers.

Bashame argues Neko’s not ready, but Nokotan argues Neko has the “deer talent.” Nokotan asks Neko to imagine her antlers growing out of her head. Neko ponders but Nokotan’s antlers grow instead—nonetheless, Nokotan rewards Neko by giving Neko her antlers. Neko leaves the Deer Club in a joyful mood. Then, Neko realizes she didn’t discover Koshi’s weakness and falls to the ground in shame. 

The episode closes with the narrator taking a jab at Neko.  

The Episode Review

My Deer Friend Nokotan was somewhat of a let-down this week. While the episode had scenarios that’ll make audiences chuckle, the material presented feels forgettable and dull. From weakness discovery antics to strange animal-feeding segments, fans may question if the series’s author, Oshiooshio ran out of ideas. 

Nonetheless, it’s great seeing the Deer Club clash with rival groups. Some great examples include Neko’s pitiful Koshi weakness scheme and the thrilling club fight between Koshi and the sender’s group. These set pieces will pique audiences’ curiosity. The latter situation especially since it’ll have audiences question what happened during Koshi’s delinquent days. 

That’d be an interesting subplot to explore in a future episode. It’d add depth to Koshi’s character and give audiences a deeper understanding of why she wants to abandon that old aspect of her life. An episode dedicated to Nokotan’s origins wouldn’t be a terrible idea either. Nevertheless, this was a fine chapter of My Deer Friend Nokotan.

The comedy in this one carries mixed baggage, but we’re optimistic matters will pick up in the next one.