Drama

Romance

Sci-fi

The general art and animation are pretty solid. It is not anything special that will make it stand out like high budget animes but it held its own. The overall aesthetic gives a strong feeling that this is set back in the 1960s fictional USSR making the anime more immersive.

The character arts are pretty decent. They go for a more realistic design thus Lev design might seem a bit plain but his personality made up for it. I like how Irina is designed and her eyes are also very pretty. However, Anya design with her pink hair seems out of place for the era the story is set in.

Background arts are also above average. Whatever they got on screen got good texture and a decent amount of detail to them. From time to time we are treated with gorgeous shots. E.g. When Irina did ballet dance while ice skating under the night sky or the Northern Lights that look really pretty.

CG is used on vehicles and spaceship but they blend quite well with the hand-drawn art and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.

However, there are drops in art quality but usually, those are in less important moments. The CG of Earth from space doesn’t look as good too. 

The character development and interaction are the best part of Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut. Irina, Lev and Anya all make the anime so much better to watch.

Lev is the chad of the show. A person with a strong sense of justice. A lieutenant at UZSR’s Air force who got disqualified from being a candidate to go to space because he hit his superior officer. In charge of Irina training and supervision, Lev treats Irina as a person and not an object as others do.

Irina is a cute vampire who is obsessed with going to space and the moon. She doesn’t care much about being frowned upon by humans or treated like dirt, as long as she got the chance to go to space. She got a bit of a cute tsundere side to her, is stubborn and sometimes childish.

What makes the anime so lovely is the character dynamic and romance between Lev and Irina. Their relationship starts off in caution mode. On Lev side, the propaganda state that vampires are blood-sucking monster. For Irina, all humans are murderers.

Despite the cautious start and the difference in personality, the chemistry between Lev and Irina is just beautiful. They both put aside their differences and bound naturally. The progression of their relationship is paced naturally and is totally satisfying to watch. 

Lev trains Irina well to make sure she can return back to earth safely even though he might not be chosen as a candidate again, he wishes to see Irina able to get to space. When Irina return from space and Lev got re-initiated as a candidate to go to space, Irina want Lev to be chosen and take the path she have paved in front especially for the rocket development.

Irina become really cute when her relationship with Lev got closer too. Showing her vulnerability and her cute side. Moreover, never knew getting blood-sucked by a vampire romantic, where is my cute vampire girl at?

Anya is the best winggirl for Irina and Lev. She is another character who treated Irina well. She works as a researcher at a biomedical lab and is assigned to study Irina’s physiology.

Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut

Simple Life ～ My Beloved by Sarah Àlainn

Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu

Both the opening and ending song fit into the 60s themed anime. They are both great songs, but I dig the ending song more. The opening somewhat gives out a USSR-ish feeling with a bit of Dracula mixed in. The ending song is chill and gives out a very comfy vibe.

The studio nailed the background music to give a 60s feel. All the jazzy pieces fit into the theme of the anime, and to add to that, they also nailed the USSR-like music. 

Special shout out to the jazz piece that plays during romantic moments and the vocal piece that plays in special moments. They are both really gorgeous songs.

Sound effects are also present in places that should be present. Such as when riding in the truck, there is shaking noises of the truck. The sound of a rocket launch also sounds powerful.

Voice acting performances are excellent and the voices naturally fit into the role and personality of their character.

Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut is set in the space race era with the Republic of Zirnitra (based on the Soviet Union) and the United Kingdom of Arnak (based on the United State). Irina Luminesk, a vampire was selected to be a test subject before the first human space flight with Lev who was to train and supervise her.

The world-building is nicely done with explaining stuff like vampires and how humans thought of them or how vampires thought of humans. Things like racial discrimination against vampires, the length the military goes to cover up events and falsification of information. All of this makes the anime world more believable and also in line with how USSR operated back in the day.

The anime by all means is not a propaganda piece, It is more about the story of Irina and Lev who are both space nuts. Although some event in the story is kept accurate to historical reference (e.g. Laika first dog in space), the author has also taken the liberty to change things to make the story interesting.

The romance between Irina and Lev is also progress in a natural way. The shared struggles between the two and similar goals make their relationship progress naturally with a lot of wholesome moments. Romanticist elements such as ice skating under the beautiful night sky are included too. 

The anime shows the amount of intense training and struggle that a person has to undergo to become a cosmonaut. The amount of competition that exists between the candidates are also showcased.

The anime also manages to keep me on edge when Irina as days get closer for her rocket to launch into space. Knowing the space tech in that era, the rocket is not exactly the safest thing around and I was praying hard that Irina can return to Earth safely.

To make matter worse, Irina might be disposed of like some animal after the space flight her over and that is another thing that makes me worry about Irina throughout the anime.

The balance between politics, space-related topics and romance is perfect. The pacing is excellent, I was worried the ending might be rushed but it ended perfectly. The space race era is an under-utilized theme in anime and the way the romance elements are told is quite a treat.

Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu Review

Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut

(°ロ°)! MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD

Reviewed After : Season Completion

Final Score

8.5