English Dub Review: Irina: The Cosmonaut Vampire: “A Promise by the Lake”

Overview: Lev (Stephen Fu) and Irina (Tia Ballard) take a break from their cosmonaut training to have some fun and let their hair down. 

Our Take: Before Irina must subject herself to the grueling experience of staying in an isolation chamber to prepare for possible circumstances in space, she and Lev take the day off to enjoy some much earned R & R. In the events leading up to that, we learn why Irina is so interested in going to the moon. She lives a life full of contempt from the human race and understands the moon to be the only place of peace that is unravaged by the species for now, piquing her interest greatly. This shows her to be a compassionate character and someone you feel sympathy for in being seen as nothing more than either a tool and/or an animal by society, as evident from Rosa’s prejudice and the military’s view of her being disposable. 

It is not until both Lev and Irina drown their sorrows at a jazz bar that we find out how Lev’s love of space flight came to be in being excited by planes, only to be truly captivated by the moon in going above and beyond. Lev and Irina’s pure and unabashed love for the lunar satellite make them simply kind souls to root for, especially with the military’s scheming, maliciousness and thirst for power looming. Irina finally comes to understand the stand-up guy Lev is and who Fyodor Gergiev knows him to be in what caused him to be demoted by standing up against a superior officer for abusing his power against a subordinate.  

Rounding out their night on town with some late night ice skating, it is a gorgeously animated scene with beautiful art direction in ice and a starry night sky making for some mesmerizing visuals and reflections enveloping throughout. It is also self-explanatory in why Irina loves skating so much in how it mimics touching the stars and floating through space itself that isn’t ruined by spoon feeding it to the Lev or the audience. It is heartwarming to finally see Irina trust Lev and appreciate his company as a whole with the episode ending with a promise from Lev to help Irina see her endeavor through to the end and a potentially dangerous looming fate from Zirnitra.