Reviews

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.