Shikanokonokonokokoshitantan -09.mp4 May 2026

At 3:02, a single frame of text flashes: — a reference to the nine gates of the Buddhist hell realm in some esoteric traditions.

ShikanokoNokonokoKoshitantan -09.mp4 is the ninth and most cryptic entry in an unsanctioned, anonymously produced video series that recontextualizes the popular “Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan” meme (the deer-themed earworm song from the anime My Deer Friend Nokotan ). Unlike the previous eight files, which were playful remixes or subtitled dance loops, Episode 09 abandons all pretense of humor. ShikanokoNokonokoKoshitantan -09.mp4

In underground Japanese net art circles, -09.mp4 has been called “the most uncomfortable 3 minutes and 47 seconds of digital folk horror since Local 58 .” It was briefly hosted on a now-deleted Niconico Douga mirror under the tag “#shika_horror.” Viewer comments from the original upload (archived via Wayback Machine) include: “I laughed at first. Then I couldn’t sleep. The ninth deer is inside my router.” “Play this at half speed. The antlers are Morse code for ‘HELP’.” “My cat stared at the screen the entire time. My cat never watches anything.” At 3:02, a single frame of text flashes:

At 2:14, the audio abruptly shifts to a slowed-down, pitch-shifted version of the original meme song. The tempo is so low that the cheerful vocals become a mournful drone. The lyrics, originally nonsense, now seem to form phrases in classical Japanese: “Shika no ko wa / nokonoko to / koshitantan…” “The fawn, carefree, crosses the threshold…” The video then reveals a live-action sequence: a person in a full deer costume (not the cute anime version, but a taxidermy-like suit with glass eyes) walking backward through a forest at night. The camera never shows their feet. Twigs snap in reverse. Fireflies move horizontally. In underground Japanese net art circles, -09

The final 45 seconds are a static shot of a shrine’s offertory box. A deer’s shadow passes left to right. The shadow pauses, tilts its head, and then the video cuts to black. No credits. No end card.