More from the No Guns Life series:
Original Run: July 10, 2020 - September 25, 2020 Number of Episodes: 12 Genre: Action, Science Fiction Based on the Series Created By: Tasuku Karasuma
***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for No Guns Life 2nd Season. Read discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
Cybernetic enchantments advanced astronomically during the last great war, and many soldiers were turned into devastating weapons. Then the war ended, and the company responsible for this technology, the Beruhren Corporation, released their tech to the public. Now, those with robotic parts are called the Extended.
Given the dangers Extended criminals pose, it takes a special kind of enforcer to keep the peace. His name is Juuzou Inui (voiced by Junichi Suwabe).
Working the hard streets, Juuzou prides himself on a dedication to his clients, ensuring that any job he takes will be seen through to the end. However, there are forces behind the scenes threatening to stir up chaos and corruption, and Juuzou will soon find himself in the middle of it all.
Part 2
Series Positives
I’m going to try something with this review. Please bear with me a moment.
There is only one way I can describe No Guns Life. Although it was actively fun, it was ultimately unremarkable. Usually, I’d say this was a series I would forget sooner rather than later. Give it about a week, and I might as well have not watched it. However, I don’t think that is going to happen here.
Don’t get me wrong; I am forgetting the details and events in this story as I am writing this sentence. Nothing about those aspects stuck out. No Guns Life was a fairly typical crime show with only a handful of decent enough action scenes.
Still, I can say with one-hundred-percent certainty that I have never come across a character with a gun for a face. Yeah, that’s probably something I’m going to remember from here on out.
I have to give No Guns Life credit. This show was no comedy, but it knew better than to take itself too seriously. There was no hesitation to be silly; I mean, I didn’t think a gun could look dumbfounded, but this series has since proven me wrong.
If you’re looking for a bit of mindless entertainment, then I think No Guns Life can satisfy you.
And with that, I think I should stop jerking you around. If you read the original No Guns Life review, you will likely have noticed that I just pulled a copy-and-paste job. Minus a few alternations, I simply repeated what I said before. There’s a reason for that.
I did not expect No Guns Life to get a second season. Yet, here we are. Also, it turns out I was right on the money.
(Actually, upon rereading the previous review, I apparently didn’t know this second chapter was on the way. I guess I just forgot, which doesn’t surprise me considering the series we’re discussing.)
For context, this review is coming out in December 2020, and the first season’s overview was posted in February 2020. There wasn’t even a year’s gap between my viewings. Nevertheless, I had forgotten the vast majority of what this series was about and what it had done. I remember Juzou Inui’s gun-head, sure. But in terms of plot and character development, there was basically no recollection.
Be that as it may, I felt a familiar sensation while watching this season. No Guns Life was enjoyable as it was happening. As soon as it was over, though, I realized how little of it stuck. This installment was very much like its predecessor; I cannot think of a strong enough reason to justify recommending it outright.
Ultimately, this series will fill up a slow afternoon, and I believe there is value in that.
I wish there were something I can say to highlight No Guns Life’s story and characters. I didn’t think either was awful, but I also can’t form much of an opinion about them. Although a protagonist with a gun for a head is definitely a curiosity, you’d be surprised how quickly you get used to seeing it. The novelty hardly lasted an entire season, let alone two.
I will mention that the first half of this season got my hopes up. I wasn’t thinking this series was suddenly going to turn into anything special, but it was on a notable path forward. Aside from Juzou, Mary Steinberg (voiced by Manami Numakura) proved to be a second character worth remembering; her tale had my attention for a while.
Unfortunately, in the second half of this season, Mary reverted to merely being one of this show’s most prominent side characters and was less involved in the action. That did not do No Guns Life any favors. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
I can’t tell you which installment was the better. As the seasons stand in my memory, they are equals. Sadly, that’s not really a plus.
Series Negatives
The finale to No Guns Life 2nd Season was not good – plain and simple. The story told wasn’t the worst thing in the world; so, there was that. Yet, while it was passable, it had absolutely zero help.
The most disappointing factor of it all was that this series came out of Madhouse Studios. If you don’t know, this is the same company which has given us some of the best, most memorable anime out there – Death Note, Hellsing, the first season of One Punch Man, Cardcaptor Sakura, Perfect Blue, Black Lagoon, Hunter x Hunter, the list goes on.
Naturally, I can’t expect every Madhouse project to be on the same level as some of the most remarkable series and movies ever made. Still, I would and do expect the animation not to be garbage.
No Guns Life 2nd Season had terrible CGI. The climactic final fight, in particular, was atrocious to watch. The visuals had not been stellar up to that point, but I have to think this show must have run out of budget. The quality tanked so hard.
Not only that, the pacing was wonky, flashbacks broke up the action, the narrative was rushed to a conclusion; it was just a complete mess.
The odd thing was, this installment set the stage for a continuation much more than its predecessor did. Will we get a No Guns Life 3rd Season? Who can honestly say? Then again, we already got this, and I, frankly, don’t know why.
Final Thoughts
Like with the last installment, I cannot think of much anything to say about this season. The lack of impression it made was astonishing.
I feel I was more lenient with the first season because I must have thought something could have been done with this series. To be fair, there were things to like. However, there almost nothing worth remembering.
Although the chapters were on par with each other, I cannot reach the same conclusion. No Guns Life 2nd Season can be skipped.
But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise No Guns Life 2nd Season? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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For Anime Hajime, I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next time.
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