It’s inevitable in any season with as many shows that clear the first hurdle for me as this one that a lot of them will fall in the bubble zone after two or three weeks.  I like No Guns Life but I’m really not sure just how much yet.  It’s an interesting execution of what seems like a very familiar premise.  Some moments are really distinctive, some feel rather sluggish and bland.  At times it looks great, like vintage Madhouse, and at others it bogs down in mediocre CGI.  In short, it’s a mixed bag so far.

Apart from the CGI, my biggest gripe with this episode was with the excess of exposition by explanation.  It’s a pet peeve, I don’t deny that, but I hope it doesn’t become a habit.  Besides that things moved along in pretty similar fashion to the premiere.  Juuzou makes a pretty good protagonist, even if anime is currently overrun with characters cut from the same basic cloth.  It’s clear that despite his rather shitty deal in life, he has a code of morality he lives by.  And that’s what compels him to rescue Tetsurou, despite his protestations that he “hates kids”.

An important new player here is Mary Steinberg.  She’s a sort of Extendeds’ doctor (engineer?) and a friend of Juuzou.  She clearly sees herself as a thorn in Beruhren’s side, and operates outside their normal field of vision in the shady part of town.  It’s she who Juuzou brings Tetsurou to after rescuing the boy.  But she tells him that Tetsurou’s implant is probably not removable, which limits his treatment options.  Just why is the CEO of the company using his own son as a guinea pig like this?  Is there something about Tetsurou specifically that makes him an ideal subject?

It’s sort of amusing that Beruhren’s tack for getting Tetsurou back is going after Juuzou’s cigarette supply.  But there is a reason behind it at least.  What strikes me is that his enemies seem to keep underestimating Juuzou – ascribing vulnerabilities to him that he does not possess.  It seems likely that Tetsurou is going to become Juuzou’s sidekick (as Mary suggested), which will only make Juuzou that much more of a target for Beruhren.  I see potential in all this, but the jury is still out for me.