With how popular the medium has become, it’s not uncommon to see anime memes go mainstream viral these days. However this one definitely caught us off guard as it includes a very new title, a deer and potentially a Spider-Man and Venom reference?!
Oh Deer!
The My Deer Friend Nokotan anime has already been making rounds on the internet due to its very catchy opening and closing theme songs. For starters, the opening song “Shikairo Days” was made specifically for the anime and features the actual voice cast of the show. If you’ve been inhabiting certain parts of the internet, you’ve most definitely caught sight of the very catchy choreography that’s also been frequently showcased on platforms like TikTok.
As for the closing theme “Shika-senbei no uta” (A song about deer crackers), this was also sung by the voice actors. You have to give props to the music video direction as well, featuring actual footage of real deer in Nara, footage of deer crackers being made in a factory and anime girls superimposed on top.
The Dancing Meme In Question
However, what broke the internet recently was a solo, acapella performance by the main character, Torako Koshi who dances, teases and suddenly punches a deer? (Thankfully no real animals were harmed in the making of this video). The post on X (formerly Twitter) by the official Japanese My Deer Friend Nokotan account has accumulated 6.6 million views in less than 24 hours. So much so that Saki Fujita, the voice actor behind the stellar performance has come out to say that this is her own original composition. She’s also posted consecutively throughout the day in an upbeat yet overwhelming tone as she didn’t expect the video to blow up.
Antics aside, fans have also been quick to realize that Torako’s moves are exactly the same as that of the dance in 2007’s Spider-Man 3. For context, this particular scene happens after Peter Parker combines with Venom and becomes a much more arrogant version of himself. Several years ago, the character was dubbed Bully Maguire due to the way he seemingly had his way with everyone after being driven by the toxic symbiote. This could be a very, very subtle allusion to Torako’s character who has a past of bullying other people too.
It seems like this is going down in internet history. As of the time of writing, the video posted on Reddit has already garnered over 700 upvotes. The Know Your Meme page has also taken a screenshot of a tweet that depicts Torako next to Tobey McGuire’s Spider-Man to compare the reference.
