My Deer Friend Nokotan Explained
| Ja Kanji: | しかのこのこのここしたんたん |
| Ja Romaji: | Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan |
| Type: | manga |
| Author: | Oshioshio |
| Publisher: | Kodansha |
| Demographic: | Shōnen |
| First: | November 15, 2019 |
| Volumes: | 6 |
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Oshioshio. It began serialization in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Magazine Edge in November 2019. After the magazine's discontinuation in October 2023, it was transferred to Kodansha's Magazine Pocket manga website in December the same year. An anime television series adaptation produced by Wit Studio premiered in July 2024.
Plot
Torako Koshi, a second-year at Hino Minami High School, maintains a perfect student image to hide her delinquent past. Her life turns chaotic when she meets Noko Shikanoko, a transfer student who's actually a reindeer in human form. Reluctantly, Torako becomes Noko's guide to human life and leads the newly-formed Deer Club. Nicknamed "Koshi-tan," Torako struggles to balance her model student facade with the club's bizarre activities. This unlikely friendship challenges Torako's carefully constructed identity and leads to comical situations as she navigates school life with a deer-girl in tow.
Characters
Deer Club
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The main protagonist, who is the school's Student Council President. A former Yankee (delinquent) student nicknamed the 'Tiger of Hino' at her junior high school. Torako tries to put on the image of a dignified, ideal honor student, but dealing with Noko drags her back into old habits as she tries to handle the new insanity of her daily life. She later reluctantly becomes the President of the school's Deer Club, started by Noko, where she and her other deer friends meet after school.
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The titular heroine, who is a mysterious and eccentric deer-girl hybrid who appeared before Torako one day.
She seems to be able to read people's minds by scent (indicated when her antlers flash red), claiming she could 'smell' her Yankee past, and refuses to leave her side after being rescued from some power lines. Later, she transferred to Torako's class, sitting next to Torako.
Similar to a deer, Noko has a love of deer crackers, can molt, and has antlers sprouting from her head. Her antlers are detachable and highly durable, and can be anything from explosives, to food storage, to tentacle-like appendages, or even used as a lever to open the top of her head, which contains grass, deer crackers, and her savings and is also capable of making coffee. Her antlers are also edible, but plain in taste and hard to eat. They also grow habitually and are automatically cast when they are too long.
She also starts the Deer Club at school, where club members are supposed to take care of deer like Noko. She is also a skilled fighter, can heal any injuries to her body no matter how fatal it is, can make herself and objects glow, and can communicate with normal deer. She also appears to have the power to influence others around her, as her classmates and teachers as well as the visitors from Hino Zoo are not bothered by her appearance or her antics and are very supportive of her, and during the Deer Goddess ceremony, everyone (except Torako) fails to see that Noko herself is the Deer Goddess.
She is also a part-time worker at Hino Zoo as a deer, as well as at Deer Shrine of Hino as the Deer Goddess.
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Torako's little sister, who is obsessed with her, to the point that Anko tries to kill Noko after accusing her of stealing Torako's attention.
After fighting Noko to a draw in a Torako trivia competition and later a fight that almost costs Noko's life, Anko reaches an understanding with her, and becomes her friend.
She later joins Hino Minami High School as a freshman, and joins the Deer Club, in where she installs CCTVs and have concealed active traps within its vicinity.
She wears a sweater in winter.
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A freshman student who claims she wants to become a deer after being given a deer cracker from Noko before the opening ceremony of school.
She loves cooking and eating rice, and has a dream of planting her own rice field outside the venue of the Deer Club for the sake of self-sufficiency. She also joins the Deer Club, and aspires to be a deer like Noko. She is currently mentally close to a deer, but is still a human.
She wears a sweater jacket in winter, and a slipover in summer.Student Council
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The cat-like Vice-President of the school's Student Council under Torako. She sees Torako as her archrival, and attempts to abolish the Deer Club and depose Torako from the President of the Student Council as well as the school babe. Yet, she always fails in doing so. At one point, she accidentally becomes an honorary member of the Deer Club, much to her own chagrin.
She often carries a stepstool around with her to appear taller.
She always wears an oversized long-sleeved sailor-fuku.
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Secretary of the Student Council. She tends to overthink and overreact to issues that affect her.
She is the best friend of Chiharu.
She joined the Student Council since Neko told her into joining.
She lied about cooking being her hobby during her class introduction. Yet, the only dish that she can cook is Tamago kake gohan with eggshells.
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Treasurer of the Student Council who seems quiet and aloof, secretly a big fan of Noko, and is the younger sister of Yoshiharu.
She is the best friend of Kinu.
She joined the Student Council since Kinu also joined.
She has bought a lot of Noko-related goods (eg antler stamp, wooden antler) online.Other characters
- A deer working at the Hino Zoo.
He sometimes appears in Deer Club's room.
One time, Torako mistakenly thought that he was in fact Noko in disguise, and attempted to make him transform back to Noko by luring him with snacks, forcing him and singing the songs in her secret notes to him.
- Big brother of Chiharu, and the owner and sole barista of the Swallow Cafe.
He insists in providing top-quality service to customers of his café, but he is shocked when Noko is unsurprised at his service.
He is obsessed with Chiharu, and is shocked when he knows Chiharu idolizes Noko.
- Class teacher of Torako and Noko, as well as the consultant teacher of the Deer Club.
She always smiles, and is unbothered by the eccentric nature of Noko and the Deer Club. In fact, she supports the Deer Club.
- Mitsu Inkukai
An elderly shrine maiden who hides a demonic side.
Like most characters, she is very supportive of Noko.Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Oshioshio, My Deer Friend Nokotan began serialization in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Magazine Edge on November 15, 2019.[1] After the final issue of the Shōnen Magazine Edge was published on October 17, 2023, the series was transferred to the Magazine Pocket website on December 20 the same year.[2] The series' chapters have been collected in six tankōbon volumes as of July 2024. The series is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.[3]
Volumes
Chapters not yet in format
These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced in March 2024. The series is produced by Wit Studio and directed by Masahiko Ohta, with Takashi Aoshima writing and supervising scripts, Ayumu Tsujimura designing the characters, and Yasuhiro Misawa composing the music. It premiered on July 7, 2024, on Tokyo MX and BS Nippon.[4] The opening theme is performed by Megumi Han, Saki Fujita, Rui Tanabe, and Fūka Izumi as their respective characters in the Deer Club, while the ending theme is performed by Han and Fujita as their respective characters.[5] Remow licensed the series[6] and announced worldwide streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Anime Onegai, ADN, and Crunchyroll.[7]
Episodes
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: ja:元ヤン女子高生×頭にツノが生えてる謎の少女、新連載「しかのこのこのここしたんたん」. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/355553. Natasha, Inc.. Comic Natalie. November 15, 2019. February 25, 2024. ja.
- Web site: Cayanan. Joanna. Shonen Magazine Edge Publishes Final Issue, Reveals Fates of Serialized Titles. Anime News Network. February 25, 2024. October 18, 2023.
- Web site: Pineda. Rafael Antonio. Seven Seas Licenses DARLING in the FRANXX, My Deer Friend Nokotan, Monologue Woven For You Manga. Anime News Network. July 1, 2021. February 25, 2024.
- Web site: Pineda. Rafael Antonio. Wit Studio Unveils TV Anime of My Deer Friend Nokotan Manga for July. Anime News Network. March 13, 2024. March 13, 2024.
- Web site: Pineda. Rafael Antonio. My Deer Friend Nokotan Anime's New Video Unveils More Cast, Theme Songs. Anime News Network. May 28, 2024. May 28, 2024.
- My Deer Friend Nokotan Official Trailer ENG SUB It's Anime. March 29, 2024. en. April 15, 2024. www.youtube.com.
- Web site: Hodgkins. Crystalyn. My Deer Friend Nokotan Streams on Crunchyroll, Prime Video, ADN, Anime Onegai, More. Anime News Network. June 21, 2024. June 21, 2024.
