With some luck, I've managed to beat the first two levels of Ikaruga's Hard Mode without dying -- and without firing a shot. I'm hoping to finish the rest of them that way also, but the remaining three levels are really damn difficult with the gun, let alone without.
Also, for those curious about how I did level 2 -- you can fit exactly between the white,black,and red "boxes" as long as you don't shift horizontally while you're inside them. It makes for a much safer path that way!