REVIEW: ‘No Guns Life,’ Episode 8 – “Will”

Based on the manga of the same name by Tasuku Karasuma, No Guns Life is a sci-fi, action/adventure anime. 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. “Will” is the eighth episode in the planned 24-episode season.

While Tetsuro and Olivier make their way to Juzo, Juzo continues his fight from the previous episode with Mega Armed. However, due to Juzo having been weakened already by his fight with Gondry, Juzo is quickly defeated by Mega Armed. When Juzo refuses to join Mega Armed in his demented escapade to better Extendeds in society, Mega Armed supposedly kills Juzo. However, this only triggers memories from the war, reminding Juzo of just what he is. Juzo’s body goes on autopilot, making repairs as it becomes battle-ready. All sane thought is thrown out the window. Juzo goes berserk and Mega Armed quickly becomes overwhelmed. Can Tetsuro and Olivier calm a rampaging Juzo? What will Olivier do with Mega Armed?

This is the first time we see Juzo’s “true form”. We know Juzo as he is now, a gun unit, was created during the war. We also know that Juzo’s type of Extended was decommissioned before the war was over. But not much else has been revealed until now. In “Will,” we see just why gun units like Juzo were so feared and perhaps a little about why they were decommissioned. Although Juzo is continuously seen smoking his medicinal cigarettes, and other characters constantly reiterating his need for them, this feels like the first time we get a feel for why he really needs them.

On top of this, between Juzo’s memories and Mega Armed’s spiel about Extended sacrifices in the war, we get a feeling for the real horrors that went on with altering human bodies and changing a man into a killing machine. Brainwashing was evident, and you can just imagine the traumatic aftereffects of this war on the human brain.

This episode takes a plunge into the theme that the entire series has been hinting at since the beginning: the terror of powerful men with powerful weapons and that corruption is everywhere. There are more sides to the same coin; it’s not just the government that’s corrupt but the corporations that make killing their business. But in the same vein of things, these evils aren’t black and white. It really seems that Mega Armed, for all the evil he has done, wants to help. Which is what makes the best villains.

“Will” has a good balance of both action and dialogue. The dialogue gives us good background on Mega Armed’s intentions and reveals just what went on at Norse Scott where Gondry supposedly went rogue. The action, on the other hand, is not only satisfying—we get to see Juzo throw Mega Armed around like a doll—but also finally gives us an idea of just why Juzo and his fellow gun units are such terrifying and efficient killers.

I have fewer qualms against the art in this episode than the last two. The characters continue to be drawn similar to the manga’s art style. The flashbacks were grainy and dark, reflecting the tone of the horrors committed during the war. The one distracting element was the fact that in one scene multiple EMS personnel were 3D animated. Although the 3D animation itself isn’t bad, it is distracting when these elements are in direct contrast with the other characters which are 2D.

The voice actors are great in this episode. Emotions run high in this episode and the voice actors don’t let the audience down. The art matches perfectly with the voice acting. I am also very pleased with the range these voice actors can reach, especially Juzo’s voice actor as he goes from a serious and growly tone to an awkward and high pitched one.

Although most of this episode is serious, we get a few funny moments to balance the tone out. The Juzo chibi face is back and we get some Tetsuro and Juzo banter which always makes for a good time. “Will” is a well-rounded episode that answers many questions while creating even more with its introduction of two interesting but oddly familiar characters right at the end.

No Guns Life is available now on Hulu and Funimation.