REVIEW: ‘No Guns Life,’ Episode 2 – “Extended Remote-Control Device”

No Guns Life is a sci-fi, action/adventure anime based on a manga by Tasuku Karasuma. The anime is animated by Madhouse Inc., directed by Naoyuki Itō, with Masanori Shino designing the characters, Yukie Sugawara handling series composition, and Kenji Kawai composing music. The anime is voiced in Japanese however English subtitles are available for episode 2, “Extended Remote-Control Device.”

In this episode, Juuzo Inui saves Tetsuro—an Extended needing Inui’s help in episode one—from a Berühren operative. Now in hand, Juuzo needs to find a place where Tetsuro will be safe from anyone looking for him. This is where Mary comes in, a friend of Inui’s and a savvy engineer. Leaving the boy with Mary, Inui goes in search of his favorite pack of cigarettes only to find trouble instead.

In “Extended Remote-Control Device,” we get a bit more detail about Inui’s past. The episodes so far have been pretty vague about who Inui was before or even during the war. So, although we get some detail on some past events, everything is left vague. Which makes sense because Juuzo himself doesn’t remember much. But, I can also see where some people may be disenfranchised by the episodes because not much background is explained, both with Inui and the more detailed history revolving around the Extended and the war. However, it is only the second episode and I personally don’t mind the vagueness, especially considering the manga is also relatively vague up to this point.

I am really enjoying the animation style. I was originally concerned that the art that I liked so much from the manga wouldn’t be translated to the anime. But my fears have been assuaged. The manga and anime look very similar, and there haven’t been little to any changes to the physical design of the characters either. The animation is smooth and fluid, making portions of the anime that require more dynamic movement, such as fight scenes, seem flawless.

I’m still really amazed at how close the producers of this anime are keeping to the manga. “Extended Remote-Control Device” follows chapters two and three of the manga rather closely; the events that occur and even the dialogue are very similar. Honestly, I view this as a good thing but some avid manga readers may find fault in this. One thing that was a bit awkward was some of the jokes just didn’t hit home. This may simply be an issue with the translation from Japanese to English or just that these jokes may have read better on paper, in the manga.

We also get another, more permanent character in this episode: Mary. Juuzo and Mary are fast friends, and, as such, Mary teases Juuzo heavily. Part of the reason why the manga was so enjoyable was that the interactions between these two were very entertaining so I’m glad this has stayed true in the anime. It’s also just super cute to see Juuzo get flustered when Mary pokes fun at him; those chibi faces are precious.

Overall, I’m quite happy with where this anime is going. Only time will tell if the producers keep following the manga or if they intend to deviate later with a plot twist. Honestly, I’m hoping for the former.

The second episode is available now on Hulu. You can also stream it on Funimation.