0
0
Year: 2022
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life
Episodes: 11
Rating: 4 out of 5
Sometimes you just need a spa day. Going to a place where you can sit in hot water to relax your body and bones. A place to scrub away all the filth of the world. How about a hot spring? Having nature take all the pain and wash it away. You know what animal is living the life? The Japanese macaque. This specie knows what’s up with chilling in a hot spring all day. They look happy and relaxed. In any case, you know who had one of the grandest bath areas in the world and history? Ancient Rome. A stable of society where people would go to converse and get clean. Thermae Romae Novae is an anime where the main character is a Roman architect who has run out of ideas and somehow ends up in modern Japan.
Overview
The story follows Lucius Modestus. Lucius comes from a family of Roman architects. After being bullied as a child, Lucius decides that he wants to take up the family job and be a famous Roman architect. As a grown man, Lucius is having trouble holding down a job because his ideas of a bathhouse have run dry. While spending time with his friends, he goes to a bathhouse to relax one day. He dips his head underwater, and when he comes up for air, he soon learns that he is not in ancient Rome but in modern Japan and sitting in a Japanese bathhouse.
As Lucius spends time in the bathhouse, he soon becomes inspired by the innovations of the modern world. As he returns to his world, he creates something similar to what he saw. Every time Lucius seems to fall into the water, he ends up back in Japan and looks upon their modern technology. He soon visits everything from festivals to waterparks to private baths. Each trip helps him solve his current problem and gains the favor of the emperor and citizens.
Review:
Honestly, I thought this anime was going to suck major ass. You do see a lot of anime ass in this series. Yet, this anime was actually pretty good and funny. I like that each anime revolves around a particular area or part of a Japanese bathhouse. Each episode follows Lucius facing a problem in Ancient Rome, getting knocked out in a funny way, and always falling into the water only to end up in Japan. He usually ends up in present-day Japan, where technology is so far advanced that he gains inspiration and innovation. Somehow, he comes back to Rome after only a few minutes away and makes whatever he saw happen in Rome.
What is nice about each episode is that it takes one or two things that we think are small now, which is mind-blowing in the past. Need an example? One of the episodes shows a toilet that has water rinse the butt. Lucius finds this strange but also mind-blowing. I also think that comparing Roman and Japanese cultures is another way the anime works. You see that bathhouses in both periods were the same but also did everything differently. Also funny about this anime is that whenever Lucius goes back, he has a language barrier issue. Another aspect of the story and anime that should be commended is the learning lessons at the end of each episode. At the end of each episode, we are presented with a live-action section with author Mari Yamazaki. Mari explores different hot springs in Japan and gets a lesson on how each hot spring does it work. I find this fascinating because I have always wanted to go to a hot spring.
The animation is really crisp and has really sharp but dark colors to it. It’s not too bright but not too dark. As I watched more of it, the anime has two styles going. One style has a Roman feel to it. It looks like the character is from Ancient Rome, which adds to the overall anime. When Lucius travels to Japan, the style slightly changes to show cultural differences. Also, the anime doesn’t hide any butts, but a distinct cloud or bright light shines over it when it comes to other private parts. Also, the water in each area is so blue and clear. It almost looks like the real thing. Another subtle way the animation works is always showing the Romans look like they have dirt on their face.
There is really only one character that needs to be talked about in this series: Lucius Modestus. Lucius is a cool character that ends up in strange situations. His backstory is pretty quick as he was bullied as a child, raised by his gramps, and had bright blue eyes for some odd reason. Besides that, he grows up to be a Roman thermae architect. Somehow, he always ends up in modern Japanese baths through some time travel portal in water. He believes that the Japanese are “flat-faced slaves” but gains understanding from them. He is a kind soul who wants the very best for Rome.
Thermae Romae Novae is one of those anime series that will sneak up and catch you by surprise. Is it the world’s greatest anime series? Nope, not by a long shot. If you want something that will make you chuckle and then give you an education lesson at the end, this is an anime for it. Each episode is funny in its own way. The live-action parts of learning about bathhouses are educational. This anime will make you want to go to a bathhouse and relax your body and bones.
