“The path of a cosmonaut is not an easy, triumphant march to glory, as some people make it out to be. You have to put in a lot of work, a lot of sweat, and have to get to know the meaning not just of joy but also of grief, before being allowed in the spacecraft cabin”
- Yuri Gagarin
The Cold War lived between two opposing blocs, the beginning of a space and arms race, the dangers of a possible nuclear war and its end in the early nineties inspired many writers, artists, cartoonists and the media to create different works that sought to explain,
...
real or fiction, what was happening at the front (and in secret) between the United States and the Soviet Union. And although this war "ended" more than 30 years ago, many current works are inspired by some elements taken from the two political models, or from the occasional conspiracy theory that is usually drawn in this regard...
Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu (Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut) tells the story from the point of view of Lev Leps, a young civil servant who would have been punished and relegated from his position as a candidate for cosmonaut after disobeying and beating a superior and, However, he is granted the opportunity to work as a tutor for N44 (whose real name is Irina Lumidesk): a vampire who was forced to leave her home to pursue her dream of going to the Moon.
Irina, who is going to be subjected to mistreatment, discrimination and strange looks from officials in charge of the space race (Except Lev and Anya), shows at first with indifference to humans and then progressively becomes a more sentimental and emotional person with around him (And especially with his own tutor).
This simplistic and perhaps silly premise is what perhaps some may not digest very well because it seems far-fetched. I mean, what's so special about adding vampires to a story about space travel? And what makes it interesting? Well, the point here is that the entire setting of the series is inspired by the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (abbreviated USSR or Soviet Union) which leads many to want to see to what extent this program can satirize this state and the how can this be mere "anti-Soviet propaganda".
However, this is neither satire nor propaganda.
Irina is not trying to show us only negative aspects of this representation of the Soviet state, nor is it that you are looking for something more to it. However, what we will see are some real historical references within this fictional universe; includes the falsification of real information about the space mission, an explosion at a rocket factory, some names/aliases that would indirectly make references to different operations of the space mission, we could say that the discrimination towards Irina is barely 1% of what It was the Soviet repression of minorities because it also had concentration camps similar to the German one (This includes also Jews, homosexuals and people who was considered "mentally ill"; that it was actually an excuse for the Soviet government to incriminate and torture people who sought a reform or change in the communist model of the time), even if by the 1960s the gulags were abolished and replaced by psychiatric centers.
Since its American equivalent, Arnarck's United Kingdom isn't shown here (in name only), we'll avoid talking and comparing "objectively" what the United States was compared to its Russian rival...
Ahem… However, it isn’t only historical data and politics that is shown as the main topic. That’s in the background. Instead of an Orwellian story about totalitarianism, use that historical context to tell us a romantic story between two people whose origins and classes are quite different. It is like listening to the song "Nikita" and being delighted to know what happens with that forbidden love between two people who shouldn’t be related, and this is what happens in Irina.
The main thing here is that the series combines and intersperses between drama and comedy (With romance in the middle), seeing how these two characters spend it together in the tests, walking around the city, drinking lemon soda, etc. An entertaining aspect of this is the main character Irina himself, who is often the subject of jokes between Lev and Anya (the scientist in charge of Irina) whose tsundere side will make the viewer amuse the "cute" side of the character (Prepare for some funny faces that this vampire will do in every episode of the show). However, she doesn’t remain an object of jokes, we will also see a development of her personality and background as information about her past, myths about vampires and the different situations that Irina has to go through with characters like Rosa, Ludmilla or the Vice-Director. Despite the fact that at first she shows to be indifferent to these mistreatments, we will see later how this affects her psychologically.
And that is where Lev comes in, who in charge of Irina's life must also watch his back before any declaration or action he takes within the space mission. A kind and calm boy who seeks the integration of Irina with her comrades. However, it’s very remarkable and understandable how he, who committed a serious offense earlier, feels unable to help Irina when she is spun on one of the testing machines or when she is hit with a garlic necklace and insulted by the Vice-Director. There are people who can treat this character as soft and weak, however, would you be able to raise your voice to a high-ranking official in a country that is defined as authoritarian? Remember Franz when you watch this show.
Despite that, Lev makes an effort to get to know the vampire more and show his support for every challenge she faces on her way to space which sometimes puts him in danger of being taken to a prison (Not to say gulag…).
The romance between these two is beautiful, first of all because they both begin to talk naturally to each other progressively, which leads to both of them smiling and feeling the need to be closer together each time. Second, because they both begin to put aside their differences when it comes to where they came from (For Lev, that Irina was a bloodsucking vampire whose weakness was crosses and garlic; for Irina, that Lev was a disgusting human who would kill vampires). And thirdly, because the script of the show is made to sympathize with Irina. It’s clear that the show will develop a story based on the character, with which the viewer will say things like "I don't want Irina killed!" while the heart beats as the deadline for space flight approaches.
Animation adds that special touch to the show. Although it doesn't stand out as much as other current productions, the sets and some details (like the Northern Lights) are well done and are a good sight for the eyes. Let us highlight, for example, the scene in which Irina dances on ice. However, not everything is perfect and that is why there are times where the animation seems to decline in the less relevant moments of the series. It can be strange that the best scenes have a high quality of animation while in scenes with only dialogue we see some inconsistencies in the movement of the characters or proportions. Fortunately, this is not necessarily a problem for the entire program.
One thing that I would highlight is the soundtrack. Except for the Opening and Ending, the music used fits well into the sixties style, it feels relaxed. Outside of that, I would like to say that I was fascinated by the Opening Hii no Tsuki by ALI PROJECT whose composition and style closely resembles that used in the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni remake. The ending Arifureta Itsuka by Chiima is more of a pretty chill and cute pop ballad.
Despite many notable things about Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut that it may have (and that it goes unnoticed in the anime community), there are also negative aspects with it:
I really appreciate the elaborate worlbuilding done in this series, as I said above, I really like the settings and environment where Lev and Irina live. However, something that I could hardly understand was the alphabet used in this program (which is obviously inspired by the Cyrillic alphabet). Of course this is to add aesthetics to the show, but I wish it had a translated subtitle as well. It’s a minor problem, however, there are times when this alphabet is highlighted in some scenes, such as in a diagram where they show the connections of all the anime characters for example. The viewer may not understand what the text is saying if they are interested in knowing what it says there.
Another aspect that the viewer may not be able to follow is the slow beginning of the program, uninteresting and somewhat boring, especially when at times it shows more politics than the main characters. Fortunately, over time, as we learn more about Irina and the space mission, we begin to understand and become interested in what may happen later. And another aspect, I repeat, is the animation that sometimes loses consistency in some scenes (Like the Vice-Director hitting Irina with a garlic necklace)...
As you can see, Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut is not exactly a totally perfect historical fantasy series and sadly goes unnoticed compared to other more popular anime. However, Irina isn’t satisfied with that and takes the most it can to make us enjoy each moment between the main characters in the story. I honestly had high expectations with this show because it was inspired by my favorite part of history and I’m satisfied with it. The voices of Megumi Hayashibara and Kouki Ichiyama performed very well and added essence to the personality of their characters. I didn’ notice anything else in their performances and their roles felt natural.
So if you like the story, you can probably be offended by using an extinct country as the basis for a romance story, its inaccurate data, or something that sounds like "propaganda" to you. However, for those who also like history will be entertained by a romantic sixties-style story, historical references and nastoyka.
So, comrade, prepare your uniform that Irina goes to the Moon!
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Moon, Laika, and the Bloodsucking Princess
Japanese: 月とライカと吸血姫
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
12
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Oct 4, 2021 to Dec 20, 2021
Premiered:
Fall 2021
Broadcast:
Sundays at 01:35 (JST)
Licensors:
Funimation
Studios:
Arvo Animation
Source:
Light novel
Genre:
Fantasy
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#27592
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1554
Members:
166,642
Favorites:
786
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 18 / 30
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Your Feelings Categories Dec 19, 2021
“The path of a cosmonaut is not an easy, triumphant march to glory, as some people make it out to be. You have to put in a lot of work, a lot of sweat, and have to get to know the meaning not just of joy but also of grief, before being allowed in the spacecraft cabin”
- Yuri Gagarin The Cold War lived between two opposing blocs, the beginning of a space and arms race, the dangers of a possible nuclear war and its end in the early nineties inspired many writers, artists, cartoonists and the media to create different works that sought to explain, ... Dec 19, 2021
Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu a.k.a Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut is a show that if you'd ask me how can I recommend this series to anyone, I would say this: "Imagine if the actual "Man of the Moon" historical feat never happened with the US of A's Neil Armstrong's iconic "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." sentence. The Space Race during the Cold War happening between 1955 and 1975 is instead won by the USSR a.k.a the Soviet Union in the same but alternate historical time period, using not just animals but vampires instead." And this is exactly what
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Dec 19, 2021
Communist Dracula.
Flying through space and touching the stars is something everyone dreams of at one point in their lives, but did you dream about having your vampire girlfriend who sometimes wears a muzzle coming along for the ride? Irina: the Vampire Cosmonaut is another anime adaptation of a light novel which I will not sigh at because it is well written, interesting and unique in the light novel space. The space race is one of humanities most interesting events as well as controversial. Through a lightly distorted leans of historical fantasy where the USSR is the Federal Republic of Zirnitra and the USA is the ... Oct 25, 2021
This anime is kinda unique,not everyone can suddenly decided to make something like “how about we make a story about a slavic counry sending A FCKING VAMPIRE TO THE FCKING MOON” that’s something I would never imagine,even when im drunk or something,next why don’t we just make a story about an ogre living in mars.
But jokes aside,they executed the story really well,though the point of the story is sending a vampire to the moon,we also see the struggle behind the mission,the discrimination that our main heroine get is kinda disturbing,we learn from each episode that they consider our MH as nothing more than an animal ... Oct 26, 2021
Well I'll say this. I think that this anime is the dark horse of the season. An anime about the space race is definitely something that I have not heard of before. Add the vampire tag and you have a recipe for a distinctive anime.
Story 8/10: I really like the story for this anime. A race between two enemy nations to get a manned spaceship into orbit. Put this together with the main duo of the series Irina Luminesk and Lev then you have a story about 2 people bonding over their love for space and desire to get to somewhere special to them. Art 7/10: The ... Dec 20, 2021
Recommendation: A cute love story filled with nostalgia and old Soviet aesthetics, it's nothing revolutionary but a very pleasant watch overall.
Story: The Soviet Union analogue USZR is going to be the first to send a person to space, but desperately wants to avoid international embarrassment by having them die in an accident with the world watching. Their solution is to send a vampire prisoner, Test Subject N44 AKA Irina Luminesk, into space first as an experiment, since she is near-human in physiology but considered closer to a dog than a human, so no one will miss her if something goes wrong. Lev Leps, ... Apr 21, 2022
When I read the description of "vampires in space" I knew I had to watch this one. Something so wonderfully stupid just had to be entertaining. On some levels it was, but it really dropped the ball in the second half.
Let's look at our main characters first. Protagonist-kun wants to go to space, and that's where his character development begins and ends. But, and here's the twist, the vampire girl also wants to go to space. Stunning and brave. I really thought they'd be able to come up with more for these characters to do or some more personality traits beyond the bog standard rom-com ... Dec 26, 2021
The anime is so cute and tired. I like how it treats the space race between the United States and Russia very well. It's a good compilation of history and they put it together with a vampire girl who wants to be an astronaut. I love how they handle the story the main character as you want, you love him, you want everything in life to go well for him. The animation quite well and the soundtrack also the character design is well done. I would have liked it to be more romantic because there are scenes where you say, tell him that you like
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Oct 25, 2021
I know what you are thinking. Looking at not only the title of the anime, but the description too. Thinking. 'Vampires in space? What?' It's a concept that one may think it's crazy, and might be a random anime that is thrown together, and doesn't connect well with it's audience. But honestly, this show can be more seriously sweet then it seems. That's mainly down to it's main partnering main cast members, that really drive the show forward, and it's sweet of how their relationship is.
Like imagine, being scapegoated, as nothing by a tool by most, seen as such by most. With the idea ... Jan 27, 2022
*Spoilers ahead*
This is a show which is rather different than usual. On one hand, at its core, its really not that special. The story is based on real event, except it takes place in an alternate universe/world/reality where the alphabet and names of everything are different, but factually everything is exactly the same as the cold war era. Well, aside vampires (that are also different to normal vampires in most regards). The documentation of soviet cosmonaut training and launch isn't something too exciting, unless you're a space and/or history nut, and isn't handled too well here either, despite the addition of a semi cuudere and ... Jan 2, 2022
What is this anime?
Vampire girl is abducted to be a test-flight experiment to make sure a space flight is safe before humans go into space. MC is her instructor and is cool dude. He tries to get her safely into space and back, while also trying hard to make sure he's the first human in space. Did I enjoy it? It surprised me. From beginning to end it kept me entertained and wondering what would happen next. It's sad that the romance aspect of the show wasn't travelled more, but it is nice as it is. It ends on a good note where, while it could continue, ... Dec 20, 2021
Irina the Vampire Cosmonaut is basically a treat for all the history buffs out there who also manage to think of the "what if" scenarios of the pasts, like when the USSR won the space race against the USA.
Here are my Ratings for this show Story is 6/10- Basically established a solid plot but its not bad but its not special either. Art 9/10- Eye Candy to the eyes especially the MOE character design of Irina, Anya and other female characters. Sound 9/10- Want a fictionalized USSR themed OST? you can listen it here and reminisce the past glory of the great USSR! Character 6/10- I'll give ... Jan 8, 2022
Story/characters:
The premise to Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut is outlandish and watching this series requires one to suspend their disbelief over the idea of inserting a vampire on an otherwise realistic storyline. Not everyone can achieve such a feat and this premise is bound to turn people off. It was not an issue for me as I have learned anime can get a little wacky and hey! So long as all the craziness is provided right at the start, I am willing to give it a go! If you can overcome that obstacle then you will be surprised at how closely this series follows real events of ... Mar 23, 2022
"The vampire cosmonaut"...This is going to get strange.
Allow me to preface this by saying I highly enjoy vampire anime but most suck...hard (pun not intended). Only a few series have been able to pull of the vampire genre and not made it turn into a mishmash of cringe and cliche. Additionally, anime about space, the cold war, the "UZSR" and 20th century politics does not gain my attention. I solely watched this because of a cute vampire girl. So how does "The vampire cosmonaut" handle the vampire genre? Mehr. Honestly, you could have replaced vampires for any other oppressed group and it would have worked. 99% ... Dec 19, 2021
Set in a world similar to Cold War era Soviet Union in 1960, Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut is set during the space race between the Zimitra Republic and United Kingdom of Arnak to attempt launching the first person into space. Lev Laps is part of a cosmonaut candidate training program, who was demoted to a backup candidate due to insubordination against a superior officer. Needing to test how the conditions of space would affect human candidates, Lev is tasked by the Zimitran government to train a teenage vampire named Irina Luminesk to be used as a guinea pig for testing out how humans would fare
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Jan 10, 2022
Disclaimer: I have not read the light novel (LN) of this series, thus I am unsure of how accurate the anime adapts from the original source. Therefore, most of the comments here will be analysing the anime as an original show rather than an adaptation of the LN.
Story: The story is set in an alternate reality of Earth where the events are similar to the Space Race period. The story is self-explanatory based on the idea that the Space Race is about whoever gets to reach Space (in the context of the anime) first. As a result, there is little world-building required and the story ... Dec 24, 2021
Sure my review will have some spoilers and I don't know if it'll be helpful for you the reader. I know there'll be a lot better review out there by professional anime watcher and reviewers. I'm only a working guy stressed at work and enjoy watching anime to relieve stress.
Also dont expect me to name the characters, as I loved giving them my own term. I decide to watch this anime adaptation of a light novel series from Gagaga Bunko, and as of now it was licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment for an English release next year, around mid-2022. That made me interest on this series. Story Vampire, and ... Dec 19, 2021
The story is meh but the main characters have more depth than most of the other romance anime I've watched. I wouldn't recommend it unless you like cutesy romance shows, otherwise it is a solid watch.
Story: 6 The story is nothing captivating, but I enjoyed the setting of communist "Russia." The story is fine for what it is. Art: 7 The animation is fine. A few cute especially cute moments, but otherwise average. Sound: 8 Overall sound design is average, but I gave it an 8 for the ED. ... |





