My Deer Friend Nokotan – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap & Review

The Summer Deer Festival

Episode 6 of My Deer Friend Nokotan begins with the narrator thanking the viewers for watching this anime. The narrator says he’d like to reward viewers with 18 mini-episodes. Then, we cut away to the Deer Club. There, Nokotan performs weird tricks in front of Koshi. Then, Koshi checks the club’s finances.

She knows they’re out of cash and this upsets her. Nokotan tells Koshi to sell her antlers on Mercari. Koshi puts Nokotan’s antlers on Mercari and Koshi successfully sells them. After Nokotan weeps over a deer publication’s suspension, Nokotan confronts Koshi. Nokotan wants to sell body pillows. She shows Koshi a prototype of her product. 

Koshi tampers with the body pillow. She doesn’t give Nokotan a solid response. Nokotan suggests they sell Deer Club t-shirts instead. Koshi says she’s okay with that idea and Nokotan tries one of them on. Koshi finds Nokotan’s t-shirt-wearing method strange. After we receive a funny gaming antler gag between Koshi and Nokotan, Koshi visits and leaves a store. 

Koshi’s struggling to drink her boba tea. She realizes the straw in her cup is an antler instead of a straw. Nokotan observes Koshi from afar and snickers. After we receive two more mini-tales between Koshi, Anko, Bashame, and Nokotan, Nokotan and Anko host a Notsu Notsu Shopping show. Nokotan shows off a new antler seal case. 

She tells the audience it’ll cost them 2,980 yen instead of 29,800 yen. Nokotan and Anko share more deals with the audience. The girls hope this will persuade viewers to buy their main product. Neko turns her television off. She can’t believe these girls are promoting a worthless product. Then, we cut away to Chiharu and Kinu. 

Kinu notices Chiharu purchased the antler product Nokotan was selling. Chiharu reveals she also got the extra goods Nokotan and Anko showed on Notsu Notsu Shopping. Chiharu gives Kinu one of her antlers and Kinu thanks Chiharu for the gift. Neko observes the girls from afar and looks confused. 

Neko ponders the value of Nokotan’s “sealed case antler” and purchases it seconds later. Then, we see Nokotan, Bashame, and Koshi walking somewhere together. Koshi notices several cute things during their travels. Bashame and Nokotan tell Koshi they’re cuter than those things. After more gags ensue between the Deer Club members, we arrive at a different day. 

On this day, Nokotan insists Koshi, Anko, and Bashame start a rock band with her. Anko and Bashame offer to fulfill strange band roles and Nokotan accepts. Koshi’s left to play all the instruments Nokotan said they could choose from since Nokotan wants to be a vocalist. Eventually, summer arrives in Hino City. 

Koshi and Anko head to school with the former mocking the narrator about his summer comments. Anko and Koshi discuss their summer uniforms. Anko shares strange remarks about Koshi’s outfit, making Koshi feel uncomfortable. While students comment on Koshi and Anko’s activities, Nokotan arrives but she’s covered in weird white spots. 

Nokotan and Koshi visit the Deer Club. Koshi wonders if Nokotan ate something bad off the ground. Nokotan promises Koshi she only eats deer crackers off the ground. Bashame tells Nokotan she’s suffering from Rice Blast disease. The narrator explains what the Rice Blast disease is to the audience. 

Nokotan understands and believes she’s a rice plant. Bashame tells Nokotan she’ll always view her as a deer but argues it’d be best for Nokotan to cure herself of her Rice Blast disease. Nokotan understands and tells Koshi she wants to leave the Deer Club. Then, Tsunoda appears and Koshi notices Nokotan and Tsunoda have similar white spots. 

Anko argues that Nokotan is undergoing the molting process. The narrator explains the deer molt process to the audience. Nokotan understands and shows Koshi her “former skin.” Koshi tosses Nokotan’s skin in the trash. Bashame rushes to the trash can and puts Nokotan’s old skin on. 

After we learn Chiharu was the one who purchased Nokotan’s horn on Mercari, the narrator lets the audience know nothing problematic occurred during our protagonists’ summer outing. Koshi develops a strange thought about Nokotan’s molting issue. While that’s happening, we cut away to Neko, Kinu, and Chiharu. 

Neko wants Kinu and Chiharu to update her on their Deer Club destruction plan progress. Kinu tells Neko she has nothing to report because she didn’t agree to eradicate the Deer Club with Neko. Neko yells at Kinu. Then, Nokotan pops up and Neko wonders why she’s here. Nokotan reveals a weird creature called a “tsuchinoko” to Neko and the others. 

Neko argues that this creature isn’t a tsuchinoko but Nokotan disagrees. Chiharu names the creature Tsuchii and Nokotan tries feeding Tsucchi things she adores. Tsucchi refuses to eat or drink any of Nokotan’s offerings. Nokotan concludes that Tsucchi isn’t a tsuchinoko after all. Tsucchi eats chalk and Kinu suggests Neko touch Tsucchi. 

Neko develops a close bond with Tsucchi. Koshi walks into the room and points out the strange vibes she’s getting from everyone. The episode closes with the narrator telling the audience that the student council and Deer Club will raise Tsucchi together.

The Episode Review

My Deer Friend Nokotan episode 6 was utterly bizarre. The 18 mini-episodes we received at the start of the chapter weren’t all great. While some provide great laughs, some set pieces won’t. Mostly, some mini-chapters feel like the wasted filler episodes you’d receive from the mid-2000s era Shonen series. Nevertheless, fans will love the segments that offer compelling nods to current gems like Bocchi The Rock.

It’d be best for My Deer Friend Nokotan to stick to its standard formula and not experiment with its structure too much. On the other hand, the segments surrounding Nokotan’s molting issue and Tsucchi were interesting. Seeing the narrator share intel about the molting process was fascinating. Animal enthusiasts will enjoy that tidbit the most. 

They sneakily pay tribute to Bambi, another well-known fictitious deer like Nokotan. Tsucchi’s inclusion was a brilliant move too. This gives the series a chance to stand out from other moe-like anime. Hopefully, this won’t be the last we see of the strange antler specimen. While this chapter wasn’t perfect, it offers decent material to ponder.