No Guns Life 2nd Season

This second season really brought to light some serious issues regarding the people behind the shadows. And some very interesting facts. Although it was already some time since I had finished the first season. So, I had to refresh my memory before I started watching this second season. Although, I won't announce any spoilers or anything that has to do with this particular season. But, I will say this, this one highlighted somethings that I was myself, very curious about. This was only the tip of the iceburg, but I loved the action that ensued here, some parts were sad, serious, and comical. But, all ... were indeed put well together, so it all makes sense in a way, in others, not so much and a but confusing to say the least, well, at least to me a few parts here and there, about this and that, as I felt minor details of which I found to be important were left out. But, I think that is what makes anime like this, so thrilling to watch, because you don't know what's going to happen, until it happens. I thoroughly enjoyed this season and cannot wait for the next one.

I was able to notice a very visible improvement in the approach as director Naoyuki Itou (also director of the first season of No Guns Life) seeks to relate in a decentralized way with space, characters and also with machines in a harmful and almost sad universe.

Not that I need to approach the first season to develop an idea of ​​the second, but if I correlate them visually, it would be possible to say that the two parts are exactly the same. My biggest problem with the first part was how the director used some inventive ideas in a way that sounded formalistic and mannerist ... with no relation to the rest of the artistic unit, however in this continuation he did not bring great news that differentiate both in aspects, but in his approach with some artificialities.

There is a search in No Guns Life that always tries to find ways to humanize our relationship with machines in a very personal way. Again, they have feelings, obligations, traumas, fears and also relationships. The protagonist Juuzou goes through a dramatic arc again involving his relationship of being a separate individual or a tool, and the same is done with other Extended ones that appear during the series. The objective is to link both qualities and defects in this relationship, while at the same time, it also dehumanizes that same relationship with other supporting actors in the plot. The funniest thing is how the direction really frames the faces of these machines, which even without any kind of human expression, still manage through simple gestures and sometimes exaggerated (exaggerated in a good sense) to attribute to the viewer a discernment for each of these characters.

Through CGI, which is used organically and is somewhat immersive at various times, as if those spaces had a life of their own. The scenarios and the palette of colors darker and more dirty represent very well a harmfulness of the reality of this universe. The anime uses cinematography that literally puts us in the perspective of the characters, it is an inventive form of the director again, but that works better in this continuation. I could even say it was perfect, but the management still has some free technical virtuosity. I see no need for the anime to use lighting filters or a more elegant landscape in some specific moments, since in most of the work it tries to show a more harmful side of this universe, so this spontaneity actually ends up going against unity the rest of the work.

The director has what he needs, he managed to improve in all points the way he related to his stylistic elements in this continuation, but it is still not perfect.

No Guns Life is a Madhouse anime from 2019. It was pretty unimpressive. The first series was like a bog-standard "edgy" 90s comic. To the point where it could have almost been written and drawn by Rob Liefeld. Except that the artists have a somewhat passable sense of human proportions. This time around, we're looking at the sequel from mid 2020. Is it better than the first series? Maybe.

Story:

We open with an unexpected attack from the terrorist organisation Spitsbergen. Why they named their terrorist group after a scenic area of Norway that means "Pointed Mountains" I don't know. In any case, they're after the ... data Juuzou acquired at the end of the last series. And, to get it, they capture Chris & Tetsurou. Things become more complicated when Mary's brother surfaces as part of the group.

This has a lot of the same issues as the first series. It still makes no sense that Juuzou can't pull his own trigger. The writer did know that humans can reach the backs of our necks, right? And I will reiterate that it's not an authorisation thing because we have and do see the trigger pulled by teenagers. The series continues to suffer from severe pacing issues with it throwing plot points at you hard and fast. Like they think all of us have uncontrollable ADHD and won't be able to sit still while they extrapolate on anything or flesh out their plot points. And I can say, as someone with ADHD, we can actually pay attention to plots and appreciate slow, atmospheric moments.

I will give this series credit in one regard over the first, the ending is notably better. This one actually has a major confrontation against a foe who's been built up for a while. I also do like some of the flashbacks and the insights they give us on the characters. They also do help flesh out the world a little bit.

Characters:

The main characters are slightly improved over the clichés of the first series. Juuzou, Mary and Tetsurou all graduate from bland archetypes to bland archetypes with slight variations. We also get to see a small amount of humanity from Pepper and Seven, though the Berühren organisation is still cartoonishly evil. And has a stupid name.

Art:

The "extreme" 90s aesthetic is back for the cyborgs with the bizarre visual characteristics for the human looking characters that just look out of place. The series does still have some smooth animation and decent action sequences though.

Sound:

The acting is still the strongest element of the series. Numakura Manami, Suwabe Junichi, Yamashita Daiki, Minase Inori and Sanpei Yuuko are all strong actors. The music is still okay, not anything special.

Ho-yay:

Still none to be found.

Areas of Improvement:

1. The 90s aesthetic for character designs isn't good. They weren't good in the 90s and they certainly don't hold up thirty years later.

2. Your evil corporation needs some redeeming qualities. Yes, it's a common cyberpunk trope for there to be a powerful corporation with shady practices and dark designs at the top. But it's not common for them to be basically the ruthless terrorist organisation COBRA. With all the subtlety and nuance thereof.

3. Take your time. A story works best when it has slow moments to build atmosphere and when the threads that are introduced get developed. This series has a problem with just throwing a shit tonne of sub-plots at you, barely developing any of them and just rushing through developments. It doesn't do a good job of building intrigue or investment.

Final Thoughts:

To its credit, No Guns Life 2 is a slight improvement over the first. There are some major characters who have gone a step above being archetypes and the ending is actually somewhat satisfying. That being said, it still shares a lot of the same problem as your standard Image comic and I don't really recommend it. Unless you're someone who thinks that the 90s had the best writing and visual aesthetics for comics. My rating is going to be a 5/10.