No Guns Life Series Review: Gun Head

Series Positives

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 one of those series that I would forget about sooner rather than later; give it about a week, and it should be like I had never watched the show. However, I don’t think that is going to happen.

Don’t get me wrong; the details and events that occurred in this story, I am forgetting them as I am writing this sentence. Nothing to those aspects stuck out, and No Guns Life was a fairly typical crime show with decent enough action.

But unlike anything else, I can say that I have never come across a character with a gun for a head. Yeah, that’s probably something I’m going to remember from here on out.

Disregarding this (which isn’t easy, mind you), much of what allowed No Guns Life to be as fun as it ended up being had to do with Juuzou Inui. I don’t want to use the word “badassery” to describe Juuzou since it would be rewarding something undoubtedly stupid, more on that in a bit, he was cool to watch in a fight.

Juuzou certainly wasn’t invincible; he could take and often took quite a few hits that would put him out of commission for a while. Nevertheless, whenever he was throwing down, he would keep going until the deed was done. Minus the gun that fired what appeared to be a laser beam straight from the Sun, Juuzou’s greatest strength was his tenacity. If he were on the job, no matter what hit him, he would keep getting back up, often to the chagrin to whoever he was facing.

That last bit was particularly amusing whenever Juuzou was up against someone with an overly inflated ego, and this was always likely to be the case.

I have to give No Guns Life credit. This was no comedy, but the show knew better than to take itself seriously. There was no hesitation to go silly; I mean, I didn’t think a gun could look dumbfounded, but I have been proven wrong by a series before.

If you’re looking for a bit of mindless entertainment, then I think No Guns Life can satisfy you to at least that degree.

Series Negatives

The main character had a giant gun for a head. And it was dumb, like, it was just so goddamn dumb looking. By the way, this was the gimmick of No Guns Life.

This series isn’t going to fade into the ether that is my memory because how do you forget the anime with the main character who was a walking, talking revolver.

On the one hand, it was a good thing No Guns Life didn’t take itself too seriously because it would have failed spectacularly. I mean, how do you not look at Juuzou and not start laughing. On the other hand, I couldn’t take any aspect of this show seriously. There were villains and death and hardships, sure. But to expand on what I said, although this may not have been a comedy, with a protagonist such as this, maybe it should have been.

No Guns Life, even with its decent action, wasn’t the most fascinating watch. There were enough details to remember that made following the narrative, more trouble than it was worth. Most of the other characters hardly left an impression, with Juuzo’s wanna-be sidekick, Tetsurou being more of an unforced burden.

Now, from what I can tell, it appears a second season is on its way. I can’t say I expected that. I didn’t think this story needed a follow-up, but I’m willing to see what happens, nonetheless.