Vampire Cosmonaut Anime Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu Explained in Promo Video

The official website for the television anime of Keisuke Makino and Karei's Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu (The Moon, Laika, and Nosferatu) light novel series began streaming a new special promotional video for the anime on Friday. The video features actor and movie commentator Akapen Takigawa explaining the series in about two minutes.

The show will premiere on TV Tokyo on October 3 at 12:35 a.m. JST (effectively, October 4). The anime will also air on BS Nippon TV, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, and AT-X. The series will stream on d Anime Store, Abema, GyaO!, and other services.

The anime's cast includes:

• Megumi Hayashibara as Irina Ruminescu
• Kouki Uchiyama as Lev Leps
• Satoshi Hino as Mikhail Yashin
• Mikako Komatsu as Roza Plevitskaya
• Hina Kino as Anya Simonyan
• Takaya Hashi as Slava Korovin
• Masaki Terasoma as Lieutenant Victor
• Kikuko Inoue as Natalia
• Kenichi Ogata as Fjodor Gergiev
• M.A.O as Lyudmila Halrova
• Hiroki Touchi as Narrator

The original novels' story is set in a fictional world, 10 years after a long war divided the world into two superpowers: the Union of Zirnitra Republics in the east, and the United Kingdom of Arnak in the west. Both of these superpowers now test their ambitions against each other in a space race. In 1960, the Union's Premier Gergiev announces Project Mechtat (Dream), a prestigious plan to launch manned missions into the final frontier. To this end, the Union establishes the isolated city of Laika 44, where cosmonaut candidates compete for planned manned missions to space, and scientists develop the technology to make it happen, all in an environment of secrecy.

The story centers on Lev Leps, a backup astronaut candidate, and his new companion, the vampire Irina Ruminescu. As part of a daring new Operation Nosferatu, Project Mechtat will use Irina as a test subject for various conditions expected in space, and ultimately as part of a manned mission, with Lev overseeing Irina's training as a cosmonaut. For reasons of their own, both dream of going into space.

Akitoshi Yokoyama (Cutie Honey Universe, Photo Kano) is directing the anime at Arvo Animation. Original novel creator Keisuke Makino is in charge of the anime's series scripts. Hiromi Kato (I'm Gonna Be An Angel, Kobato., Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East) is designing the characters. Yūji Kaneko (Kill la Kill, Spriggan) is the art director. Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Black Butler: Book of Circus, Inazuma Eleven) is composing the music.

The rock band Ali Project is performing the opening theme song "Hi no Tsuki" (Scarlet Moon), and singer-songwriter Chima is performing the ending theme song "Arifureta Itsuka" (A Wonderful Someday).

Shogakukan's Gagaga Bunko light novel imprint launched the novel series in December 2016. Sojihogu launched a manga adaptation of the novels in Kodansha's Comic Days website in March 2018, but went on indefinite hiatus beginning in January 2019 due to Sojihogu's poor health. It has not yet resumed. Kodansha published the manga's first compiled book volume in November 2018.

Makino stated in August that the novels will be published in English.

Sources: Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu anime's website, Comic Natalie