The Summer 2024 season brought with it great expectations for several anime series, and “My Deer Friend Nokotan (Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan)” was no exception. Prior to its premiere, the series had generated a lot of discussion on social media due to its unusual story and catchy opening theme. However, after the broadcast of its first episodes, the series seems to have disappeared from viewers' radar, passing almost unnoticed.
A look at the Google Trends chart confirms the precipitous drop in interest in the series in Japan. Although search volume peaked in early July, coinciding with the premiere of the first episode, public interest plummeted in the following weeks. By early August, the chart showed that more than 90% of viewers had dropped the series, which is consistent with the so-called “four-episode rule.”a phenomenon that suggests viewers often decide whether to continue watching an anime after its first four episodes.
The anime, produced by WIT STUDIO, featured a peculiar and promising premise. The story follows Torako Koshi, a model student who has it all: beauty, intelligence, and the presidency of the student council. However, she harbors a dark secret: she was a delinquent in high school, something she tries hard to hide. His life takes an unexpected turn when he meets Noko Shikanoko, a girl with deer-like features whose strange actions endanger Torako's secrets. To prevent Shikanoko from revealing her past, Torako is forced to play along and become the president of the newly founded “Deer Club.”
Despite this premise, which combined comedy and mystery, the story failed to hold the audience's interest. Japanese netizens have been discussing on various forums why My Deer Friend Nokotan failed to capture audiences beyond its first episode. Online comments reveal that many viewers abandoned the series due to the lack of a compelling plot or meaningful character development.
Among the most notable comments, some users expressed their frustration with the series:
- «The Elusive Samurai was boring from the first episode».
- «How many animes, on the other hand, have their peak after the first episode?».
- «There are too many animes that lose».
- «The Elusive Samurai doesn't even have an original manga that is popular».
- «Alya-san probably has a similar chart».
- «The Elusive Samurai It's a historical series. Those who started watching it because of its cute appearance probably lost interest because they weren't interested in the plot.».
- «Shikanoko It's a good example of how, even if you manage to generate anticipation and attract attention, if the story is boring, you will inevitably lose momentum.».
- «Many people say that the works that sell well do so because they go viral or something like that, but the reality is that they do so because their stories have been well received.».
Interestingly, some compared My Deer Friend Nokotan's downfall to other anime that met a similar fate in the same season. One user pointed out that other series, such as “Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian” and “The Elusive Samurai,” had also shown a similar pattern on Google Trends.suggesting that these productions were victims of content glut.
Ultimately, the discussion among fans revolves around how narrative and character development are crucial to sustaining audience interest. Despite the initial campaign and the peculiarity of the story, My Deer Friend Nokotan failed to keep the audience captivated.becoming an example of how an eye-catching premise does not guarantee long-term success if the content does not live up to expectations.
Fountain: Otakomu
