One thing the show makes it abundantly clear even in the first episode, is that the Vampire/Dhampir are a catch-all for assorted prosecuted races and ethnicities in the Soviet Union/USA. The show being hard historical fiction with relatively accurate depictions of the Soviet Space program came to me as a surprise. The show doesn't shy away in its depiction of racism, but I would still say it does a reasonable job at portraying its setting without being overly heavy handed.
The plot is nothing special, it really just is the early days of the Soviet Space Program with some liberties taken here and there to account for the romantic drama between Lev and Irina. But what truly sells the show are its characters. Placing an otherwise typical Boy-Meets-Girls type romdram inside the Soviet Union does set up a lot of interesting situations you don't normally see in other similar shows, and seeing how the main characters work around or work within the constraints of an oppressive setting such as this makes you root for them even more. And it really is surprisingly comfy despite all this. Not everyone is a monster and the characters all have multiple facets to them, and it is heartwarming to see the team warm up to Irina's successes despite her ethnicity. The moments of respite that Lev and Irina have together are all the more valuable because of the setting, when they have to put up a front almost all the time, it makes the few genuine moments where they can be themselves all the more important.
While the show is really lacking on the visual department, and it can look rough a lot of the time, it more than makes up for it with its stellar soundtrack. Special note goes to that jazz piece that plays during all the romantic moments, and that one vocal piece they play occasionally in the plot important moments.
Tsuki to Laika is a cute romance, but being set in such an underused setting allows it to distinguish itself from most romantic dramas out there. Do give it a shot if you want something different in your romances, or if you're itching for some early Cold War historical fiction.
6/10
