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My Deer Friend Nokotan #1
My Deer Friend Nokotan Manga Volume 1
No one knows Torako used to be a delinquent. All of her classmates only know her as the perfect student. But everything changes when Nokotan, a transfer student with antlers, enters her life. Antlers aren’t the only thing strange about Nokotan. Her deer nose can sniff out Torako’s secret past! Whether it’s at school or the zoo, chaos follows this doe-eyed girl’s every step. Torako has so many questions! Is Nokotan a deer, a girl, or something in-between?
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 16, 2022
Torako has the perfect high school life, but in middle school she was a serious delinquent. Happily hiding her past, life couldn’t be better, until a deer girl named Nokotan arrives who can sniff out her secrets. Will Torako find her endeering or is this pairing about to drive her crackers?
You can feel when a story gets off to a rough start in your very bones (even the ones not protruding from your skull) and when this one leads with chibi-Nokotan being introduced while caught in some power lines as giant trails of snot dangle from her nostrils, my entire vertebral column began twitching.
It doesn’t get any better after that, presenting the ‘transfer student’ trope without a lick of irony and proceeding onwards to Nokotan alternating between willfully destroying Torako’s new life or using that information to get Torako to spend time with her.
It’s meant to be very broad, comedically speaking, but the line between broad and stupid is very thin and by the time you’ve factored in the dumb jokes about Nokotan being able to take her head off, the damn deer crackers (fun fact: never funny once), some pretty mean-spirited virgin shaming, and some bird poop humour, well, it feels well and truly over that line, with gusto.
Nokotan’s design when she’s not all SD or chibi is actually pretty good and the book improves slightly towards the end when the girls form a deer club and their relationship warms, but Nokotan is still a basic idiot character and one that evolution suggests should have been dispatched years ago.
Everybody loves Nokotan besides Torako, which is clearly where the audience is meant to fall, but good luck with that. She’s so obnoxious and it’s not like Torako is cruel or closed off or needs to be taught to enjoy life. She’s having a fine old time until her existence is destroyed. It doesn’t feel funny, it feels mean. Like most of this story.
This is definitely not my style of comedy and that is 100% behind my dislike for it. I could see this being somebody else’s cup of tea, but I really didn’t enjoy it as I was reading. It’s the theatre of the absurd, but not in a way that I felt added anything to the story (the one lone exception might be the deer parade, which is amusingly weird but not cruel).
2 stars - maybe a 2.5 if I was generous, but this isn’t for me, so 2 it shall remain. It gets a bit warmer towards the end, but by that point it’s like holding a Zippo aloft in a blizzard - what, precisely, is the point?
You can feel when a story gets off to a rough start in your very bones (even the ones not protruding from your skull) and when this one leads with chibi-Nokotan being introduced while caught in some power lines as giant trails of snot dangle from her nostrils, my entire vertebral column began twitching.
It doesn’t get any better after that, presenting the ‘transfer student’ trope without a lick of irony and proceeding onwards to Nokotan alternating between willfully destroying Torako’s new life or using that information to get Torako to spend time with her.
It’s meant to be very broad, comedically speaking, but the line between broad and stupid is very thin and by the time you’ve factored in the dumb jokes about Nokotan being able to take her head off, the damn deer crackers (fun fact: never funny once), some pretty mean-spirited virgin shaming, and some bird poop humour, well, it feels well and truly over that line, with gusto.
Nokotan’s design when she’s not all SD or chibi is actually pretty good and the book improves slightly towards the end when the girls form a deer club and their relationship warms, but Nokotan is still a basic idiot character and one that evolution suggests should have been dispatched years ago.
Everybody loves Nokotan besides Torako, which is clearly where the audience is meant to fall, but good luck with that. She’s so obnoxious and it’s not like Torako is cruel or closed off or needs to be taught to enjoy life. She’s having a fine old time until her existence is destroyed. It doesn’t feel funny, it feels mean. Like most of this story.
This is definitely not my style of comedy and that is 100% behind my dislike for it. I could see this being somebody else’s cup of tea, but I really didn’t enjoy it as I was reading. It’s the theatre of the absurd, but not in a way that I felt added anything to the story (the one lone exception might be the deer parade, which is amusingly weird but not cruel).
2 stars - maybe a 2.5 if I was generous, but this isn’t for me, so 2 it shall remain. It gets a bit warmer towards the end, but by that point it’s like holding a Zippo aloft in a blizzard - what, precisely, is the point?
July 4, 2024
This may be one of the most stupid manga I've read (aside from Pop Team Epic). To me it's walking between funny and just annoying. For a funny light read it's fine, but it's just... Unrelenting in how silly and non sequitur it's humour is.
August 16, 2024
A simple premise with great execution. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.
August 19, 2022
As a work of absurdist humor, MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN v1 is an astonishingly brilliant comic book.
As a work of otherwise contemporary sequential literature, MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN v1 is awkward, tedious, and rife with redundant gags.
One's interest in either will dictate one's reaction to a deliberately strange and consequentially cliched tale of two teenagers whose personalities and interests intersect in the most conveniently inconvenient way possible.
Shikanoko is a deer-girl; part deer, part girl, all idiot. Torako Koshii is a model student; reformed delinquent, sometimes headcase, also all idiot. When Koshii stumbles across the deer-girl on her way to school one day, she is immediately ensnared in what becomes a recurring ritual of Nokotan getting her antlers stuck (and requiring help), being deathly scared (and requiring help), or being a danger to herself (and requiring help). Readers learn very quickly this is not a manga about a hybrid animal girl learning to cope with the human world; it's a manga about how abruptly one's grasp of reality will dissolve when confronted with a barrage of irrefutable oddities.
MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN v1 is a benchmark for absurdism. Nokotan is a deer-girl who refuses to explain who she is, what she is, or why she does whatever it is she does. She gets stuck on overhead telephone wires. She detaches her antlers and offers them as a gift. She tells jokes when she's in obvious danger (and is deadly serious when the situation doesn't call for it). She manipulates others into doing things for her (and swiftly forgets, or pretends to forget, precisely why). And while all of this occurs, poor Koshii is dragged along for the ride.
Koshii, dubbed "Koshitan" by the airheaded deer-girl, can't understand why nobody is freaked out by a hybrid creature entering her class as a transfer student. The more questions Koshii asks and the harder she tries to unravel the mysteries of Nokotan, the more confusing and strange things become.
For example, Nokotan detaches her right antler, pops it open lengthwise, and extracts a banana for a midday snack. Koshii is shocked, but there's no explanation, no commentary, and exclusively one pun. And then the story moves forward.
Absurdism is not the domain of rational thought.
MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN v1 will appeal to readers whose sense of humor skews toward the aggressively ludicrous, harmlessly farcical, and slyly surreal. Properties like Azumanga Daioh, Nichijou, Yuri Seijin Naoko-san, FLCL, and Haruhi Suzumiya sped through these subgenres in tandem with slice-of-life and science fiction.
Is it funny that Koshii must face down a trio of delinquents behind the gym (with Nokotan steadfastly lying about how she'll stay behind)? No. Is it funny that Nokotan arrives at the meet-up wearing boxing gloves? Sort of. Is it funny that Koshii borrows Nokotan's glowing antler, throws it (with zero expectations), and unleashes a devastating explosion that levels the gymnasium? Absolutely. That's the humor of MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN v1: Nothing makes sense, unless the characters will it.
Elsewise, one must acknowledge this manga isn't really about anything at all. The puns and gags associated with Nokotan being an absolute idiot are too numerous to count. The deer-girl can't even walk through a door (her antlers get stuck). And whereas Koshii spends much of the book searching for ways to shut up her new friend, to keep her history as a former delinquent under wraps, her outbursts are flawlessly predictable and lack any real impact on the story itself. The manga is a fun but wandering mess; delightful for those who enjoy getting lost, but a real head-scratcher for those unfamiliar to narratives absent the demands of rationalization. For the latter, it's no consolation that the series creator is a capable artist, and it's no consolation that whenever a modestly serious splinter plot emerges (e.g., Nokotan may be poor and orphaned), one can be assured there's another gag around the corner to shuffle it out of the way.
As a work of otherwise contemporary sequential literature, MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN v1 is awkward, tedious, and rife with redundant gags.
One's interest in either will dictate one's reaction to a deliberately strange and consequentially cliched tale of two teenagers whose personalities and interests intersect in the most conveniently inconvenient way possible.
Shikanoko is a deer-girl; part deer, part girl, all idiot. Torako Koshii is a model student; reformed delinquent, sometimes headcase, also all idiot. When Koshii stumbles across the deer-girl on her way to school one day, she is immediately ensnared in what becomes a recurring ritual of Nokotan getting her antlers stuck (and requiring help), being deathly scared (and requiring help), or being a danger to herself (and requiring help). Readers learn very quickly this is not a manga about a hybrid animal girl learning to cope with the human world; it's a manga about how abruptly one's grasp of reality will dissolve when confronted with a barrage of irrefutable oddities.
MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN v1 is a benchmark for absurdism. Nokotan is a deer-girl who refuses to explain who she is, what she is, or why she does whatever it is she does. She gets stuck on overhead telephone wires. She detaches her antlers and offers them as a gift. She tells jokes when she's in obvious danger (and is deadly serious when the situation doesn't call for it). She manipulates others into doing things for her (and swiftly forgets, or pretends to forget, precisely why). And while all of this occurs, poor Koshii is dragged along for the ride.
Koshii, dubbed "Koshitan" by the airheaded deer-girl, can't understand why nobody is freaked out by a hybrid creature entering her class as a transfer student. The more questions Koshii asks and the harder she tries to unravel the mysteries of Nokotan, the more confusing and strange things become.
For example, Nokotan detaches her right antler, pops it open lengthwise, and extracts a banana for a midday snack. Koshii is shocked, but there's no explanation, no commentary, and exclusively one pun. And then the story moves forward.
Absurdism is not the domain of rational thought.
MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN v1 will appeal to readers whose sense of humor skews toward the aggressively ludicrous, harmlessly farcical, and slyly surreal. Properties like Azumanga Daioh, Nichijou, Yuri Seijin Naoko-san, FLCL, and Haruhi Suzumiya sped through these subgenres in tandem with slice-of-life and science fiction.
Is it funny that Koshii must face down a trio of delinquents behind the gym (with Nokotan steadfastly lying about how she'll stay behind)? No. Is it funny that Nokotan arrives at the meet-up wearing boxing gloves? Sort of. Is it funny that Koshii borrows Nokotan's glowing antler, throws it (with zero expectations), and unleashes a devastating explosion that levels the gymnasium? Absolutely. That's the humor of MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN v1: Nothing makes sense, unless the characters will it.
Elsewise, one must acknowledge this manga isn't really about anything at all. The puns and gags associated with Nokotan being an absolute idiot are too numerous to count. The deer-girl can't even walk through a door (her antlers get stuck). And whereas Koshii spends much of the book searching for ways to shut up her new friend, to keep her history as a former delinquent under wraps, her outbursts are flawlessly predictable and lack any real impact on the story itself. The manga is a fun but wandering mess; delightful for those who enjoy getting lost, but a real head-scratcher for those unfamiliar to narratives absent the demands of rationalization. For the latter, it's no consolation that the series creator is a capable artist, and it's no consolation that whenever a modestly serious splinter plot emerges (e.g., Nokotan may be poor and orphaned), one can be assured there's another gag around the corner to shuffle it out of the way.
November 17, 2022
I first read the blurb of this manga and though this might weird enough for me to enjoy it… I was right. This manga is so funny and the premise is just hilarious.
May 22, 2022
This was a delightful read
December 30, 2022
This is so absurd and chaotic. I've changed it from 3 to 4 stars upon a reread.
August 15, 2023
This bounced around to 2 1/2 to 3 stars for me I’m not really sure what I read reformed delinquent Koshitan is bound German to keep her past a secret but a girl with deer antlers in a nose who can smell her passing the fact that she’s a virgin turns her life upside down the humor is kind of hit or miss for this year work isn’t bad. The plot is kind of weird I might read some more in the series but I really don’t know it’s not really my cup of tea if I get around to it I’ll probably read more this just fell kind of flat more for me
August 14, 2022
When I got this I thought it would be a cute slice of life title about a deer girl and a former delinquent, and I liked that we got it in the beginning. It was when plot came in I was a little down, mostly due to personal issues and wanting an escape. With that said I liked the deer character and found her to be funny and loyal, even with her stupidity.
October 23, 2024
Gotta say, loved it. I got the manga after watching the first few episodes of the anime, and it didn't disappoint! I've heard a lot about the humor being too shallow or too forced, but I personally liked it a lot. It's just ridiculous and stupid, and sometimes that's all anyone needs.
July 14, 2022
Mazo random pero parece haber subtexto yuri, me gusta
January 12, 2023
2.5 stars
Did Not Finish
April 14, 2023Gave up after 2 chapters. I don’t vibe with this style of comedy.
June 22, 2023
Such random and amusing scenarios, and the art is quite pretty 🥰
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2024
it's pretty much yuri
October 12, 2024
Anime was better
October 31, 2024
She just like me for real (a deer, eating deer crackers, doing deer things)
November 6, 2024
This was quirky and weird and it wasn't particularly great and yet I want to read more . . . ?
November 27, 2024
Lots of nonsensical fun as a delinquent-turned-honour-student finds her life upended by a deer-girl. Fans of bizarro lit should like this.
January 30, 2025
Super-cute, just like the Anime 🦌🦌🦌
April 27, 2026
Parts of this were more gross than funny, but the silly/surreal humor mostly works in this manga.
April 28, 2026
It's good. I prefer the anime because of its use of sound and music, but it's still a fun into into this wacky series.
November 5, 2022
this was a bit dramatic and contained a lot of the more cheesy elements i dont appreciate about manga. maybe i just dont understand the social dynamics of japanese high school, but it doesnt seem like a massive deal to me if you used to be a screwup - take it from me!
April 13, 2024
Funny and lighthearted manga! Would recommend!
July 15, 2025
Very funny. Would recommend!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews