Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan

OH MY DEER, this anime is just terrible. I can't stress enough how badly this anime does comedy and over relies on a single punchline repeated for 12 episodes straight. Where else would you find an anime that is called Brainrot other than Shikanoko? It is unfathomable how this anime managed to keep a fanbase after 3 episodes worth. I can't belie- "And now, while my logical side is rambling, welcome to the intermission break, where we discuss the sheer deer of the deer anime." Deer Mode: The deer opening is very endeering and by far the most deerlicious part of this anime. The cast brought outtheir A-game to elevate this opening up to an 11. It's also the single reason why my deer booty is watching the deer girl in the first place. Just as voice actress Megumi Han once said, "Don't think, just feel." To top it off, you're given front-row seats to some "Award-winning" ahh performances from Rui Tanabe and Megumi Han, particularly the former. She does the Yandere act so immaculately perfect, that you will be brought back to heaven from a single utter of her voice. Deer Mode: I must stress further about the clever easter eggs the deer cast has managed to deliver, the deer eyecatchers, the 4th wall breaks, and pop culture as deeeee perfect reference for more laughs and giggles in the anime. In this catering of deer biscuits, we got your favorite memes appearing again in a deer anime, characters behaving normally in a chaotic situation, cults, Koshi Torako being the only sensible person in her group of crackheads. The deer card acts wildly. Maybe the true treasure were the deers along the way. "Oops, looks like my logical side is getting louder. We'll be back shortly." Logic Mode: The only good part about this anime is the easter eggs and pop references, anything else this anime has to offer is just complete garbage. The joke itself is so predictable that even a Scientologist can predict the next joke by a mile away, the delivery of the joke is so flat that any laugh you'll let out is just a blood-curdling one that makes you rethink about living life. It is just suffering to watch this anime and expect a single giggle from this anime. When you see Shikanoko open her head and you see the inside is empty, that's how much brain is given into these godforsaken jokes. Logic Mode: I think the worst part about Shikanoko is that these characters are very inconsistent whenever you go into a new scenario. You can tell the jokes pretty much only focus on Shikanoko being an autistic deer for the entire anime and you have Koshitan watching her impulses going wild like a deer trampede. Any characters involved all act like nothing odd is happening and when you get to the extreme characters like Anko, she is just so tropey that it's exhausting. Nekoyamada and Bashame were acceptable at best because they were pretty adorable to watch. This is not a debate, you'll get some short giggles sure, but it is unlikely that you'll find yourself having a good time watching it from start to finish. Deer Mode: But... the opening is fun! Logic Mode: Well that's why you don't believe in the rumor "In every good anime lies a good opening.". I rest my case.

It’s a solid good series, at the worst of times it can border from fine to annoying though. The series was really unique and had some great moments/jokes. Overall it was a fun watch thanks to the absurdity; I’d be content if it didn’t return for a second season, however if that happens I’ll be pleasantly surprised. Only complaint I have about it is how everyone except Koshi accepts everything that happens with a smile. I get that’s part of the joke: Shikanoko does something absurd and everyone else accepts it as normal behavior while Koshi is flabbergasted; but it kinda feels overused by theend of the show. I did like the Treasurer’s brother and would have liked to see him more outside of the coffee shop scene, it was nice to have someone other than Koshi point out the absurdity.

Yes, I know, everyone will give this a 10/10 because it's the new meme around, but I'll give my real thoughts on it. This show relies pretty much 100% on "random = funny" which just doesn't do it for me. It got me chuckling maybe a few times in the first and second episode but that's about it, the "randomness" aspect stops working very early, specially when it stops being random and its just expected. I think the show could've been better if it had a structure simillar to Saiki, where each episode is 5 minutes long. Then you would consume it in small burstsinstead of 20 minutes where jokes get old really fast. All of this to say that JK THIS IS THE BEST SHOW EVER MADE THE CHARACTERS ARE SUPER DEEP AND RELATABLE AND THE PLOT IS MORE INTRICATE THAN A GEORGE MARTIN BOOK 10/10

It's not terribly unfunny and unwatchable, it just doesn't know how to do comedy or a comedy series cast. I can compare it to two anime, Bocchi the Rock and Cromartie Koukou. Bocchi has great visual comedy, an emotional core and a colorful interesting cast, that adds variety to the gags. Shikanoko would most likely profit from being only Koshi and Noko, as the rest of the cast is just white noise, they don't add anything, they don't have any interesting routines or gimmicks to the add to the comedy. They have a singular line (joke) and repeat it whenever they are on screen. However, evenif the rest of the pointless cast was removed, there'd be one issue remaining: Koshi is a terrible tsukkomi. The straight man only being able to explain the joke is where comedy goes to die. There were very few gags in which Koshi's commentary added to it, instead of dragging it down. When Koshi is the boke and there's no tsukkomi's is when the gags flow the best, and the creator not being able to realize that and invest more in it probably shows how they're just doing whatever, instead of trying to learn and improve at their art. As for Cromartie, it also has more characters than the author can write gags for, and sometimes it also has a series of gags that just don't land. BUT 1) Kamiyama isn't the one ruining the jokes, and the series learned that having him join in can be more interesting than just freaking out at the outlandish events surrounding him. 2) Even when the joke isn't a killer, you can be engaged in the overall story or situation, or a character gimmick that wasn't very funny on their first gag does better on their return. Shikanoko has no love for its characters, so the viewer also won't be invested on what can happen to them, and neither for the gags, as they never evolve. The first two episodes are the best the show can offer, and while there were some gags between 3 and 11 that were smirkable, the overall rate of bombing makes the show one that can't be recommended to anyone looking to have a good time with a funny anime. If the last episode was funny, I'd be willing to say it was an okay show, at least, because it'd at least end on a high note, but it was 70% as unfunny as any episode. "It's the final episode, so this HAS to happen" isn't so funny a joke you get to do it 5 times, and the events that took place weren't interesting enough to forgive using genre staples as an excuse to write a bad finale. It's still shitposting even if you're just pretending. If you need to experience the deer, watch the first two episodes and the finale, then go on with your day. It won't add anything to your life, but losing an hour of your day with a tentative bland comedy won't kill you either.

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