Altered Carbon: Resleeved Review

March 24, 2020 at 3:45am
By Jason Stettner

Altered Carbon: Resleeved is a Netflix Original anime film that acts as a spin-off to the series. While this might seem like an expansive cyberpunk universe, it really is all about this singular character. That’s right, Takeshi (Ray Chase) is back and dealing with a new threat. This is an interesting continuation of the series, while doing so within the confinements of what’s already come to pass.

It’s interesting as there should be a neat surprise for fans, and generally a solid story for those wanting some intense action. The just of the narrative is that our pal Takeshi is back and needs to protect Holly (Brittany Cox) as she is part of this special tattoo ritual that runs deep within the yakuza. It’s an interesting premise, and an entirely different part of this overall society.

There’s a neat blend of ancient weapons, and the futuristic technology that you would expect from this universe. This isn’t necessarily a genre that I typically am into due to high exaggeration, but there were minimal moments like that in this. I generally did enjoy watching it, going along with the narrative and such though there wasn’t a whole lot of depth or even originality within this.

I did quite enjoy the visuals, they were very interesting. Realistic, with an almost distinct cartoon element to them. They were very smooth, and aesthetically pleasing for the most part. It certainly captured the gore, and smaller elements of the Altered Carbon series.

With that, it also felt like it didn’t diverge too much from its source show and I was hoping for something more distinct. Like I said previously, with this being such a rich universe I had perhaps expected entirely fresh characters. I would expect there to be a wealth of possibility, but there doesn’t really seem to be that.

Whatever the case, I found this to be an alright slice of something different out there. It’s a big diversion from what those that watch the main series will expect, but it might be worth checking out as it’s unique in that sense. I would note to expect a lot of action, as that aspect seemingly never ends.

The Conclusion

Altered Carbon: Resleeved is a solid spin-off for the series that retains its lead character while dropping us into a fresh yakuza situation. It’s definitely a weird choice for the narrative, and more of a mystery would have been nice.

It’s not a very long viewing, so expect it to go by and perhaps just be satisfied to some degree. I enjoyed viewing this, but I’m certain this won’t be for everyone and I’m very curious if fans of the regular show will head over to check this out. I did like that they didn’t exaggerate things too much as the anime I’ve seen tends to do, that was appreciated.

They had some neat scenes, and character dynamics. I felt they could have expanded some elements further, as there was something left to be desired for sure. Still, a fine time and tons of action if that’s something of interest to you. They do not hold back on the gore of violence in this one.

Altered Carbon: Resleeved Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Content Access was Provided by Netflix

Rating Overall: 7.0