Thermae Romae

It’s not every day you run into shows that are just plain eccentric, especially one that's centered on baths. Well, that’s exactly what happened to me, thanks to a little TV special I stumbled upon called Thermae Romae, based on Mari Yamazaki’s award-winning manga of the same name. It may seem like just another low-quality show with no point whatsoever, but Thermae Romae is a fairly humorous show that has a surprising amount of depth to it. Set in ancient Rome, it follows the bizarre, time-trotting adventures of public bath architect Lucius Modestus to modern-day Japan.

Despite the seemingly dumb premise, Thermae Romae’s story is entertaining ... in its own right. Using time travel as a plot device is a pretty unique and comical way to teach people some casual, though intriguing facts about both Japanese and ancient Roman cultures. What’s great about Thermae Romae is that it doesn’t beat around the bush and gets straight to the point in exploring the similarities and differences between Roman and Japanese baths.

What’s the most enjoyable about Thermae Romae are Lucius’ reactions whenever he periodically has glimpses of a different and significantly more advanced society than his own. You could say the show indirectly addresses the issue of how a foreigner would react in a relatively unknown land, due to the extreme culture shock they’re experiencing, and vice versa. From generating your voice through an electric fan to having an exaggerated reaction to eating not-so-instant ramen for the first time; somebody’s bound to do one of these things or something similar when they’re put in the same situation as Lucius. Hell, I haven’t been to Japan yet, but I bet my first time will resemble the latter. Like something trivial as being astonished with voice-operated toilets or bidets…and the Japanese natives would just look at me like I’m crazy. It’s moments like this that make watching Thermae Romae amusing.

From a distance, it’s easy to dismiss Thermae Romae’s animation as terrible, but the show is more concerned with the method it presents itself. The flash animation style could be compared to other similar shows like it; FX’s Archer comes to mind or basically anything from Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, such as Sealab 2021 or Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Also, the variations between the character designs is as deliberate as they get, serving to denote the physical, cultural disconnect between Japan and Rome. And probably, on a smaller note, poke some fun at the different drawing styles used by various animation publications.

Thermae Romae’s notable style fits the light-hearted, intentional tone it’s going for, I think. The classical themes help with that as well, and the appropriate one plays at just the right time. Some noteworthy ones include Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" and Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker." Chatmonchy’s ED song, “Thermae Roman” sounds excellent as well. Sure, the animation looks stilted. Environment’s not detailed enough. It looks unappealing. But, the animation does succeed in producing its intended comedic effect, which I think a show like this can definitely get away with.

Thermae Romae is one weird anime; probably the weirdest I’ve seen in a long while. It’s one of those shows that, at first, is difficult to pinpoint whether it’s amazing, awful or even both. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was, and what it lacks in animation, it certainly makes up for in substance. I can’t exactly recommend this type of show to everyone, though if you want to take a break from the more self-serious, dramatic type of shows, Thermae Romae is a good though surreal change of pace. I’m willing to go so far as to say that Thermae Romae has got heart, and you’re more than welcome to try it out to see if you have the same reactions as mine. Besides, 3 episodes (or 6-part, 10-minute chunks if you prefer it that way) couldn’t hurt, right?

On a slightly related note, I simply can’t wait for that live-action movie adaptation they’ve been talking about.

_Thermae Romae_ is very much a one-note gimmick anime, from its basic plot style to its animation-style and Lucius's hilarious reactions to everything (I'd call the series a bit like _Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei_ or _Yakitate! Japan_), but it suits me at the moment, and the historical accuracy is sufficient to not bother me. Really, where else are you going to get any thing like this sort of historical fantasy but anime? The diversity and weird gems like TR is one of the reasons I love anime.

A nice warm bath is always nice. Every so often in my busy life I relax by taking one as well but I never thought about it. Wonder some random stuff about bathing? Well this ones for you.
Thermae Romae is a nice show that aims to show some history and examples. It points out two types of cultures that enjoyed bathing and how it differed so much. The story is pretty simple but who could hate that. It's short and sweet, straight to the point. There aren't many characters really but the main one is great. His voice fits and his reactions garner up ... at the least a chuckle or if your like me you'll get a good grin and crack a few smiles. The art is reminiscent of some American animations and the music is perfect and relaxing which works great with the stories subject. So just sit back relax and learn a little. Come on. 30 minutes won't kill ya and heck if ya want, do what I did. Take a bath and watch it while ya relax. That is assuming you have a laptop. If not well I guess a foot soak could work. Either way your in for a good show. I'd recommend this to new viewers or vets alike. This ones good for all ages. Enjoy =]

Overview:

I love to watch weird, ridiculous shit. There is no hiding that fact at this point. This is one of the reasons I'm so drawn to anime and always will side with anime over American comics. Believe it or not, American comics used to have detective stories, horror, romance, and categories besides spandex wearing super heroes back in the 1920s-1940s. The diversity of American comics was murdered forever in 1954 with the passing of "The Comic Code". It was decided by the Eisenhower Administration that comics should only be for little kids and comics aimed at older audiences would make Americans gay! Thanks Ike! ... All genres besides the costumed hero were instantly banned. The costumed heroes became more kid friendly and we got the "golly gee willikers" bullshit known as The Silver Age. By the time the code was FINALLY lifted in the 1980s, those other genres had been gone for so long that it was decided they weren't worth bringing back. That's why every American comic to this day is basically the same fucking thing with only a couple exceptions.

Japan never had the same problem. Manga and anime can be about absolutely ANYTHING! A medieval merchant and a Wolf goddess team up to teach economics. A bunch of Germans in space hold lengthy political discussions in a boardroom. Girls transform into fucking WW2 battleships and fight each other. This is all fair game in the world of anime! This brings us to today's ABSURD topic.

Story:

Thermae Romae is a story about an ancient Roman architect who designs bath houses. One day, he gets sucked through a drain and winds up in current day Japan. Our Roman hero is amazed by all the technology, but is also comforted by the similarity to Roman bath houses. This is a comedy anime all about comparing Roman bath houses to Japanese bath houses. A continuing theme is that Japan is the only country in the modern world that still really loves bath houses. In a way, this makes Japan the successor to Roman Civilization and makes Tokyo the 3rd Rome. I just felt a huge disturbance in the force! It's as if 147 million people in Eastern Europe cried out in anger and were suddenly triggered.

Characters:

Our main hero is the Roman architect Lucius. He is very serious all the time and dismissive at first towards non-Romans like the Japanese. He is a dutiful citizen of the Roman Empire and extremely dedicated to his craft. His overly serious nature and "fish out of water" status is the basis of virtually all of the series' comedy.

Art:

The art is flash animation and as pointed out by previous reviewers, it looks like Japanese Archer. Seriously.

Music:

The entire soundtrack is lifted classical music. Unfortunately, it doesn't use this music quite as effectively as Galactic Heroes does. The selection often seems completely random. I'll be watching a scene and think "Hey it's Verdi's Requiem! I love that piece...but I don't know why they're playing it at this time."

Overall:

Dmitri: Vladimir Vladimirovich! Urgent news! I have discovered anime that claims Japan is only country that loves bath houses and is the cultural successor to Rome.

Vladimir: Blasphemy! Moscow is 3rd Rome! Those Japanese savages don't know how to bath house! They don't even beat the shit out each other with tree branches! How can you have a bath without branch beatings! This will not stand! Fire the ICBMs at Japan!

Dmitri: How many ICBMs?

Vladimir: ALL of them! (Putin trembles in anger as "The Sacred War" blares in the background)

I am not sure where to start my review for this one. The storyline compares and contrasts Japan and ancient Rome in regards to their bath culture. I applaud the attempt to make the subject matter interesting but I am also glad this lasted only the few episodes that it did. The two flaws in the story line are the fact that it is repetitive and the fact that despite the fact it makes the subject some what interesting I doubt very few people are going to remember that many historical facts from the show.

I loved the style of the artwork but hated how this ... whole thing was animated. The animation made it seem like they did cheep tracings from the original material and story boarded it without any real smooth transitions. One thing I liked was how certain characters showed up in different places and the humor was enough to help me finish this series despite how short it is. I think my favorite part is the ending music though and music tends to not stand out for me.

Thermae Roma is a show that I don't think I'll pick up again unless I am showing it to a class for educational purposes. It is also an Anime that I don't think is for everyone. There is plenty of historical fiction out there that is more interesting. The blame doesn't lie with the subject matter because I've seen “Hanasaku Iroha” and I felt like I had more fun learning about Japanese inns by watching that. I also feel like I'll remember what I learned for a long time.

I also had a problem with the characterization in the show. The main character seemed really dumb yet he was supposed to be a major architect in Roman history. I can't place my finger exactly on what bothered me other then that.

The "I-Should-Not-Be-Entertained-This-Much-the-Anime" XD XD

this is a very very niché anime and to be honest I like to watch random shit especially if it is about something that I have never watched before and short animes because then I can more easily manage to complete them in my busy everyday :)

I went into this series with an ultra lowered bar, expected it to be somewhat like "inferno cop" or other very ultra silly animes like this...
but I became overly pleasantly surprised and I did learn some historical and culturally facts, WHICH I DO NOT MIND :D :D :D :D

so yeah... do not expect it to ... be a great historical and autentic anime like "Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin", Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, "grave of the fireflies", etc etc.
And do not expect it to be great time travel animes like steins gate, Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica etc etc

Just learn back and just relax by an silly comedy which Thermae Romae indeed is :3

I picked this anime up as a quick palette cleanser amongst all the seasonal anime I watch. I like weird, ridiculous, and dumb humor so I figured this was right up my alley. And I was right!

Throw an Ancient Greek into modern day Japan and watch how he uses their modern day technology for his financial gain in his era! That's basically the gist of it.

But the difference between what I watched and most reviewers here is that I actually watched the dub. I had no idea that Crunchyroll had just recently dubbed it until I saw the lack of comments on said dubbed videos ... and became so curious I googled it.

Plus the words 'clout' and 'flex' were used..which was the real trigger in knowing that this shit was dubbed recently.

The dub is actually decent and they put some modern day slang in it to make it more humorous in this day and age. But all in all it sticks true to the series.

Watch if you like dumb humor with weirdass animation, like me.
Don't watch if you want anything near serious.

<3

Here am i, in the middle of the night. Dreading the next school day and feeling lethargic about life.

When i stumble upon this godsend of an anime. It was just what i needed to feel better.

The story is about this Roman architect who travels to the future and copies bathroom ideas from Japan. It slowly progresses in scale of bathroom implementation, HILARIOUS subtle jokes and wonderfully relaxing calming tone.

The art, out of the hundreds of animes i've seen. This is truly my favourite art, during the first episode it felt awkward and rigid to get used to. But by the second episode i really really ... liked how it complimented the story and it just felt comical and calming at the same time.

The music in this anime was 10/10 and did something that has never been done before for me. It made me enjoy classical music. The calming violins in the background, the running commentary and the visualization of that music through setting was spectacular. It made me feel like i was drinking a hot drink and calmed my mind. I had a headache before watching this anime and now it's gone, though I have no idea if these two things are related but i'm pretty sure they are.

The portrayal of the characters in this movie was splendid. The running commentary between how the main character interacts with secondary characters in Japanese society and Roman society. Adding a sort of mystery towards the background of people and focusing more about the current content as to how they would engage with ridiculous circumstances.

I feel so happy just watching this anime
it makes me smile.
There's no other masterpiece like it.

10/10 for everything

Here is my review of this anime in 2022!

Story (10)
The story is about a Romanian who gets time traveling every time He got sink into the water. Mostly it's time to travel to Japan's bathtub and learn something from there. Not only that but He sometimes brings the items to replicate it.

Art (9)
The art is great and unique, especially for 2012 it's already awesome!

Sound (8)
The music for OP and ED is good that adjusted to the animation.
...
Character (10)
The main and supporter character is very memorable since there are not many characters besides the main character that are always shown.

Enjoyment (9)
It's very enjoyable to watch this anime even in 2022!

Overall (9)
Recommended to those who love art with comedy and time travel themes.

This thing is barely a slideshow, and it might actually be stronger for it. The amount of background gags and non sequiturs they snuck into these three episodes is astronomical. Is it as good as the remake? Absolutely not, its too short to adapt much of the manga, and this lack of time means that the adaptation cannot delve as deep into Lucius's imposter syndrome and despair, and cannot spend as much time legitimately teaching the audience about Japanese bath houses and bathing culture.

In general I don't care about the sub vs dub debate, they're cartoons, so it generally doesn't matter. But in this case, ... David Wald is firing on all cylinders, treat yourself, no preening about "artistic integrity" and "how it was supposed to be seen", watch the English dub. Be floored by the majesty of a true Roman.