My Deer Friend Nokotan – Season 1 Episode 8 Recap & Review

Deer After Deer

Episode 8 of My Deer Friend Nokotan begins with Koshi, Anko, and Bashame waiting for Nokotan at Shikagami Shrine. Koshi, Anko, and Bashame head up a staircase. They notice many people are gathered around the main shrine. Nokotan exits the shrine and the narrator jokes about Nokotan becoming a goddess. 

Then, an old woman named Inukai greets Koshi and her friends. Inukai says she’s the shrine’s head priest and confirms that Nokotan is the shrine’s goddess. Koshi finds Inukai’s remarks baffling and can’t believe everyone’s worshipping Nokotan like a true goddess. 

Inukai tells Koshi to pick up a fortune slip nearby. Koshi picks one up and learns the fortunes feature topics surrounding antlers and deers. After Koshi greets Neko, Chiharu, and Kinu, Nokotan asks Koshi to try her antler soup. Then, Inukai pulls Nokotan aside to perform an annual deer-centric ritual. 

Koshi, Bashame, and Anko depart from the shrine. Before they head home, Nokotan arrives. Koshi yells at Nokotan for all the Deer God tomfoolery she put her and the others through. Nokotan tells Koshi she just got here. Koshi learns that the Nokotan she had seen at the main shrine all this time was the legitimate Deer God. 

Then, Nokotan hands everyone a beverage. Koshi drinks it, learns it’s antler soup, and realizes Nokotan lied about not being the Deer God. Then, we cut away to Nokotan and Koshi on stage. Nokotan, wearing her Deer God outfit, addresses the audience. She thanks everyone for watching My Deer Friend Nokotan and hopes they’ll continue to support the show. 

Then, we cut away to Nokotan, Koshi, and Anko playing “The Game of Deer Life.” The narrator informs the audience about the game’s rules and everyone’s happenings as they play. Koshi and Anko fare well in the game while Nokotan isn’t doing that great. Fortunately, with Nokotan’s new Moose evolved state, she finds a way to make a random bear happy.

Nokotan earns millions of deer crackers for her success. This puts Nokotan in the lead. Then, Koshi tells Nokotan and Anko she earned billions of deer crackers during the game, putting Koshi in the lead. Koshi greets Kinu and Chiharu. The two inform her that Koshi got caught in a scandal that exposed her as a capybara instead of a popular deer. 

Koshi loses all her deer crackers and Nokotan walks away the winner. The girls notice Bashame’s ill and Koshi checks up on her. Anko confirms that Bashame ate too much mochi. Nokotan touches Bashame with her moose antlers and heals her. The episode ends with Koshi telling Nokotan that her new antlers are overpowered. 

The Episode Review

It’s been a while since My Deer Friend Nokotan delivered a fun and imaginative chapter for fans to watch. This one features our cast participating in mundane affairs no different from activities people partake in today. From visiting religious locales to playing board games, many folks will like Koshi and her friends’ activities here. 

However, this chapter goes a step further. It adds a touch of that Nokotan magic to make matters feel wacky, creative, and gripping. Some examples include the large antler roasting ritual at the shrine and Koshi and her friends’ “The Game of Deer Life” board game experiences. These segments felt strange and unique in all the right ways.

The episode also throws in a few nods to popular media fans will find charming from Super Smash Bros. to Pokémon. The showrunners deserve praise for their parodical takes on those franchises. 

Overall, this was a great step up from the previous episodes, which were good at best. I’m excited to see the other weird yet exciting developments that await Koshi and her friends.