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ノー・ガンズ・ライフ [No Guns Life] #4
No Guns Life, Vol. 4
Ex-soldier Juzo Inui has one question—who turned him into a cyborg and erased his memories?
After the war, cyborg soldiers known as the Extended were discharged. Juzo Inui is one of them, a man whose body was transformed, his head replaced with a giant gun! With no memory of his previous life—or who replaced his head and why—Inui now scratches out a living in the dark streets of the city as a Resolver, taking on cases involving the Extended.
As a Resolver, Juzo takes care of problems involving the Extended. Lately however, the source of most of Juzo’s problems is…himself! His recent involvement with the Berühren megacorporation has put him on their hit list, and when a new Berühren agent shows up in his office with her own Gun Slave Unit partner in tow, Juzo must choose between his own survival and having to take on a fellow veteran.
After the war, cyborg soldiers known as the Extended were discharged. Juzo Inui is one of them, a man whose body was transformed, his head replaced with a giant gun! With no memory of his previous life—or who replaced his head and why—Inui now scratches out a living in the dark streets of the city as a Resolver, taking on cases involving the Extended.
As a Resolver, Juzo takes care of problems involving the Extended. Lately however, the source of most of Juzo’s problems is…himself! His recent involvement with the Berühren megacorporation has put him on their hit list, and when a new Berühren agent shows up in his office with her own Gun Slave Unit partner in tow, Juzo must choose between his own survival and having to take on a fellow veteran.
232 pages, Paperback
First published November 18, 2016
6 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Tasuku Karasuma
37 books13 followersTasuku Karasuma (カラスマタスク; Karasuma Tasuku) is a japanese mangaka.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 11, 2022
3,5*
New characters appear or are better introduced. If I don’t care much for Pepper- your basic oversexualized psycho licking guns, sigh- Victor should be more interesting.
The exorcism subplot is a bit feeble and lacks logic like only Deus-ex-machinas can. It miraculously serves what’s needed to go further in the main plot on a silver plate. That could have been handled with more subtlety.
Karasuma manages some good action scenes- though a bit confused at times- and maintains a very good storytelling, which remains a strong point of his. I will forever regret the lack of finishes through real inking that would enhance the art so much.
New characters appear or are better introduced. If I don’t care much for Pepper- your basic oversexualized psycho licking guns, sigh- Victor should be more interesting.
The exorcism subplot is a bit feeble and lacks logic like only Deus-ex-machinas can. It miraculously serves what’s needed to go further in the main plot on a silver plate. That could have been handled with more subtlety.
Karasuma manages some good action scenes- though a bit confused at times- and maintains a very good storytelling, which remains a strong point of his. I will forever regret the lack of finishes through real inking that would enhance the art so much.
May 18, 2020
Tasuku Karasuma's dystopian, sci-fi mystery/psychological thriller comes back in its newest volume, with a handful of intertwined short stories, and a build-up for the first (possibly) major arc and villain in the series!
So far, a recurring theme in this series has been the needlessness of big storylines or major, game-changing arcs. This is actually a good thing. The short stories are presented as cases to solve for the main character, and they're used to build the world, introduce new characters, and develop the main ones. Don't get me wrong though, this does not mean they are not exciting. They're like a well-done side-quest in a game - exciting, different, and a breath of fresh air.
Something else that I've noticed in this volume, that's done throughout the whole series, is how even our main character is shrouded in complete mystery. Not only because we don't know about Juzo's past, but we also never get to see his perspective on things or his inner thought process. The actions he takes are not explained until they are vital pieces of events at hand. Having a third-person view on the main character is an exciting dynamic since we're never 'with' him, but we're actually watching him 'from the side'.
Let's not forget about the art. Karasuma's art style and their designs are honestly unmatched in the current roster of the industry. They even receive praise from individuals such as Hideo Kojima for the originality of the whole setting, and the amount of effort that is put in every single panel. I would dare even say, that the manga does a better job at conveying movement, flow, and speed than the anime adaptation.
I wish I could praise this volume for everything, however, towards the end the pacing seems to fall apart. Events seem to take place very quickly, with a build-up that feels unnecessary, since everything is happening so fast that it's practically non-existent.
Still, another amazing volume. I can't wait to see what happens next.
So far, a recurring theme in this series has been the needlessness of big storylines or major, game-changing arcs. This is actually a good thing. The short stories are presented as cases to solve for the main character, and they're used to build the world, introduce new characters, and develop the main ones. Don't get me wrong though, this does not mean they are not exciting. They're like a well-done side-quest in a game - exciting, different, and a breath of fresh air.
Something else that I've noticed in this volume, that's done throughout the whole series, is how even our main character is shrouded in complete mystery. Not only because we don't know about Juzo's past, but we also never get to see his perspective on things or his inner thought process. The actions he takes are not explained until they are vital pieces of events at hand. Having a third-person view on the main character is an exciting dynamic since we're never 'with' him, but we're actually watching him 'from the side'.
Let's not forget about the art. Karasuma's art style and their designs are honestly unmatched in the current roster of the industry. They even receive praise from individuals such as Hideo Kojima for the originality of the whole setting, and the amount of effort that is put in every single panel. I would dare even say, that the manga does a better job at conveying movement, flow, and speed than the anime adaptation.
I wish I could praise this volume for everything, however, towards the end the pacing seems to fall apart. Events seem to take place very quickly, with a build-up that feels unnecessary, since everything is happening so fast that it's practically non-existent.
Still, another amazing volume. I can't wait to see what happens next.
December 18, 2022
A worse volume given the development of Pepper and Seven. Hired thugs for Berühren and the two on the cover. They only stick around for the first chapter and to blow off Juzo’s arm. The rest of the volume seems like filler so we can be introduced to Mary’s brother Victor and so we can get more background information on Juzo’s past. They briefly touch on how he was assembled, his mechanic, and how he got his name.
It’s unknown if Victor is an ally or not, but apparently he was one of the first clients of Juzo, hired to keep Mary safe. The reconstruction agency wants him dead. Also their little left-handed robot friend is connected with him somehow.
The sexually explicit nature went a little too far in this volume with characters in bikini tops that barely fit over their nipples and panty shots of one legged teenagers. The fight scenes weren’t anything special and half of the cast gets kidnapped and we don’t hear more about them but we do get a hint about Tetsuro being taken in by the Spitzbergen.
—
I think the series is struggling to understand its theme and audience. At first it was about how not to treat humans as tools, then it became kind of a think piece about why war is bad, to friendship, and now it just seems like it’s a drama pit.
It’s unknown if Victor is an ally or not, but apparently he was one of the first clients of Juzo, hired to keep Mary safe. The reconstruction agency wants him dead. Also their little left-handed robot friend is connected with him somehow.
The sexually explicit nature went a little too far in this volume with characters in bikini tops that barely fit over their nipples and panty shots of one legged teenagers. The fight scenes weren’t anything special and half of the cast gets kidnapped and we don’t hear more about them but we do get a hint about Tetsuro being taken in by the Spitzbergen.
—
I think the series is struggling to understand its theme and audience. At first it was about how not to treat humans as tools, then it became kind of a think piece about why war is bad, to friendship, and now it just seems like it’s a drama pit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2021
Las aventuras de Juzo y compañía continúan, y ahora no sólo Berühren está tras sus pasos,nuevos jugadores y viejos conocido también se unen a los problemas.
esta es una serie que me ha enganchado con sus ilustraciones de acción, aunque en ocasiones tenga que ver minuciosamente para entender que está pasando, los "splash pages" de acci´øn son bien logrados y la trama deja dar aire dentro del gran conflicto para secciones en las cuales Juzo puede hacer lo suyo como contratista privado.
Ya esto a la mitad de lo publicado, y por el momento no pienso parar de leer, así que si te gusta el cyberpunk y yate has leído los clásicos, esta es una entretenida historia para seguir ojeando.
esta es una serie que me ha enganchado con sus ilustraciones de acción, aunque en ocasiones tenga que ver minuciosamente para entender que está pasando, los "splash pages" de acci´øn son bien logrados y la trama deja dar aire dentro del gran conflicto para secciones en las cuales Juzo puede hacer lo suyo como contratista privado.
Ya esto a la mitad de lo publicado, y por el momento no pienso parar de leer, así que si te gusta el cyberpunk y yate has leído los clásicos, esta es una entretenida historia para seguir ojeando.
June 1, 2022
4.5 stars. This volume is a lot of fun. While I don't care much for Pepper anytime she shows up (big fan of Seven, though), this volume also has a super fun ghost story arc (including more Kronen, who is a pleasure as always, and the introduction of Lefty, one of my favorite characters), and a great fight with a new character, Victor. As ever, the artwork is a lot of fun (if occasionally hard to follow), the world is a lot of fun, and the story is a great mix of humor, drama, and action. One of my favorite series.
August 2, 2021
Oh my. This is getting so dark and dangerous per volume!
December 21, 2022
*sighh Juzo is sooooo coool 😎💪💪💪❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2023
So much happened in this volume! Lots of fighting but I feel like we’re getting some answers finally! But they’re also bringing up more questions. Can’t wait for the next volume!
October 28, 2021
still a wonderful series of books, I have bought books 6-7 today and have been close to finishing book 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews