So maybe because I had seen the TV show I was a bit more weary and had a bit more knowledge of certain things, but this probably would work out as standalone too. It does not feel like this belongs to the show anyway, while it does maintain the character name of the protagonist of said show (and novel this is based on).

Having said that, the animation is done nicely, a lot of action and mayhem ensue (very bloody and violent). Of course some cliches are bound to be subject to the whole thing, but not to a degree that it would hurt the movie. Easy to follow and nice and decent entertainment, if you like Anime and Science Fiction. As I stated at the shows page, I have not read the source novel (yet)

This animated prequel is set on the planet Latimer over two hundred and fifty years before the events shown in the first season of the TV series. Takeshi Kovacs is sent there on a mission to protect a young tattooist, named Holly, who works for the local Yakuza. She is due to play a vital part in the succession ritual but is being targeted by those wishing to stage a coup. Shortly after Holly and Kovacs meet they cross paths with 'Gina', a CTAC agent and she joins them as they head to the hotel which is also the headquarters for the Yakuza... they will have to face many dangers before the truth of who is behind everything is revealed.

As somebody who enjoyed the live action 'Altered Carbon' series and who likes anime I had high expectations for this; I wasn't disappointed. The story is solid and provides plenty of reasons for exciting action; this action is impressively animated. The film looks great with impressively designed backgrounds which reminded me of 'Ghost in the Shell'. I was initially unsure about the use of 3D character designs rather than the traditional 2D used in most anime; I soon got used to them though. Overall I found this a solid addition to the 'Altered Carbon' story and would certainly recommend it.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

From the beginning, Resleeved feels like a poorly thought through example of flash over substance, as we see a city with several huge naked-lady holograms in the city. The city has evenly spaced red light districts? The only companies that use holographic technology are porn companies? Come on.

The story itself starts pretty good, with a little girl on the run and Takeshi Kovac hired to protect her. But things slow down once things get to the luxury hotel it all takes place in. There's a definite video game vibe, both in endless hallways and in endless villains. And while the series had a martial arts approach to the action, this is lots of guns and people getting cut in half with swords and blood flies in loving slow motion.

The central story is okay, but there are a number of loose ends and unexplained motivation (including those of the person who hires Takeshi).

This appears to be the pilot for an anime series; it does not deserve to get picked up.