English Dub Review: Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut: “Lies and Truth”

Overview: Lev (Stephen Fu) takes flight in his departure to outer space while various crucial realizations come to Irina (Tia Ballard). 

Our Take: Despite being rivals with Lev, Mikhail always came off as a respectable yet stern man committed to being a cosmonaut. He was never cruel or unfair, even praising Irina for her incredible feats, making him a simple yet likable character. To have him finally come to terms with and understand why the motherland chose Lev to become the first cosmonaut to go to space was a delightfully cordial scene with him recognizing Lep’s kind and honest heart. It serves as a nice precursor to Lev’s takeoff. 

With Lev realizing that  Irina lied about her getting reassigned to the design bureau, at this point it’s just a foregone conclusion how much he loves Irina and how pleads with the comrade chief to save her. With the comrade chief reminding to come back safe for Irina, everything goes as planned when he launches into space, unsurprisingly. What transpired into an incredibly warm sentiment on Lev’s part when he uses Irina’s descriptions and idioms describing outer space in that he wants the people to hear Irina’s words instead of his own, also declining to leave her a message. 

But without any clear translation, it was troubling for Irina in her trying to understand why Lev would steal her words, not grasping the kind sentiment behind it until she hears Lev wants to share kholodets. However, it remains heartbreakingly bittersweet for her in not being able to take credit for being the first cosmonaut to be launched into space. We also get a lens into what vision is like for her midday in the blinding light assaulting her eyesight. 

Lyudmila never failing to be a disgustingly patriotic reminds Lev of what being the motherland’s hero entails. The job that Lev signed up for comes with a lot of shaking of hands and a duty to be the outstanding hero for the motherland now and in the future with the immense influence he now has. With Lev continuing to plead with the comrade chief to save Irina, her fate remains up in the air but something is definitely brewing for her. At the end of the day though, Irina wants to see Lev again and vice versa. How that conflicts with Zirnitra’s plans for them is where things begin to heat up in the lengths they will go to defy them for both each other and the greater good. With Anya fed up with Zirnitra’s unjust behavior and a crazy look in her eye, wild, entertaining schemes are no doubt percolating in her head to reunite these two love birds that will be exciting to watch unfold.