Review of Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut

“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 However, what we will see are some real historical references within this fictional universe; includes the falsification of real information about the space mission, an explosion at a rocket factory, some names/aliases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!