Thermae Romae

Thermae Romae knows exactly what experience it's trying to deliver, and it always does so, for better or worse. If you'd enjoy reading a story about culture shock from the past to the future, or a story of episodic problems always reaching fun conclusions, then how contrived it can be won't detract from your enjoyment.

The story begins in ancient Rome, with struggling bathhouse architect Lucius Modestus finding it harder and harder to get work, due to his traditional ideas in an era where the new is successful. It is ironic that he will soon become the foremost purveyor of new ideas — as Lucius enjoys a bath, he gets sucked into a mysterious hole and finds himself in modern Japan. In of course, another bath. After all, Ancient Rome and Japan share the fact that they have a bathing culture — hot, public, communal baths, for relaxation as well as cleanliness. Yet the bathing culture Lucius finds himself in is millenia more advanced than what he is used to.

That is the core of Thermae Romae — the old being amazed at the new. Lucius will often be shell-shocked at the culture and technology of Japan, as over and over he finds himself in there, with something new to learn. He never stays long, but always has something to learn.

See, the first half of Thermae Romae follows a fairly standard formula: Lucius gets a new job or assignment to build a bath, or a bath has a problem he must help fix. As he struggles with it, he nearly drowns in some random way, and finds himself in Japan. There, he sees some modern innovation, and takes it back to Rome with him as best as he can. If you're like me, you'll find it enjoyable to see these problems solved in interesting ways. A lot of them aren't so simple; it's not just some obvious lack of technology that Lucius will then see and replicate. Plenty of the time, he faces more abstract struggles, such as how to help struggling bathhouses succeed, and the solutions he discovers can be genuinely surprising.

A formula is a formula still, and if this manga were hundreds of chapters long, it would certainly get old. At a brief 38, it's pretty much the perfect length, not to mention the second half that completely breaks the formula (more on that later). Furthermore, it knows how to diverge from its own formula even when still using it. There are times when Lucius goes to the future for a more nebulous purpose; even times when he teaches as much as he is taught. Yet a formula is still a formula, and this one comes with its downsides. Ultimately, it feels contrived that Lucius is always running into troubles that can be solved with something from the future, and that he always sees the exact solution he needs. It's a necessity for manga to deliver the kind of enjoyment it's trying to, but it still holds it back. Lucius also often never really does anything himself other than replicate what he saw. Not always; he has moments of his own brilliance, yet we still sometimes see him acting more as a vehicle to bring modern technology and ideas back rather than his own person.

And that is a shame, because Lucius is a genuinely likeable character. And overall, he shines rather nicely, even with that formulaic structure sometimes neutering him. If anything, his character is what helps it go beyond its formula. He's genuinely intelligent enough to decipher what he sees, and his attitude in Japan is more than just wide-eyed amazement. He has a genuine curiosity to understand the marvels he sees. He's honorable and capable of fighting, yet often is struggling to get his own confidence back. Most of the other characters are fine. Entertaining, sometimes funny, but none stand out as great, though they serve their role in the story well.

Sadly, there is one character that stands out as bad, and that brings me to the second half of the story. This is where it truly diverges from its formula, at least structurally. Minor spoiler ahead. Lucius ends up trapped in modern Japan indefinitely, ending up in the care of a small hotel/spa in a small town. For the most part, this works rather well. There's still the element of culture shock, yet Lucius's character gets more chances to show off how good he is. Unfortunately, the defining aspect of this is rather poorly done — the love interest. A japanese girl with whom the writer tried to cram in far too many traits at once.

Personality-wise, she's not too bad. She's not the sort of character who's grating and frustrating whenever she's on the page. But her personality is bland, and the writer is simply trying to do far too much with her at once. Minor spoilers again — she's considered the most beautiful girl in town. While also speaking Latin (unlike everyone else Lucius thus far met in Japan). Because she loves Ancient Rome. Which is why she's an archaeologist studying Ancient Rome. She also loves baths. And she's also a popular beautiful geisha.

Her very character feels contrived to be a love interest for Lucius. Sure, it's sweet when they finally get together, but it brings the manga down. And if you read the author's bio, it feels a little like she wrote herself a little self-insert.

Yet at the same time, it's the author's very passion for what she's writing about that makes this series shine. Ultimately, she loves both Japanese and Roman culture, and loves bath, and that love bleeds through into her work.

Bathing is something both Rome and Japan hold dear as not only an act to get oneself clean but also as an act of socialization. Based on this concept we find our hero Lucius, a down on his luck architect from ancient Rome transported to modern Japan through the baths he comes to love to learn all about the art of the bath and to experience a major case of culture shock every time he shows up. It’s a relatively short and sweet manga, with a heavy base in comedy.

I love this manga because of the incredibly silly premise that is taken quite seriously. You come out of the manga learning a lot as well as being entertained. The historical sections are incredibly well researched.

Thermae Romae; what a delightful little read! The length of this one is just right, I think, and it ends on a fairly sensible and happy point.

As a classicist, the accuracy in the roman side details is pleasant. It's not often that you find a piece of media that knows what a “consul” is (I’m still mad about total war “promoting” player character to “proconsul”, for instance). Of course, the accuracy does deviate somewhat – as a fictional story, historical details are flexed, and there is too much water in the roman baths (Which were, in reality, more like saunas.). However, the manga is still one of the most charming and immersive stories I have found about ancient Rome. So, I can excuse any little slip-ups when they do happen.

The tone is largely comedic, and the start of the manga is definitely more focused on the central joke – brilliant roman architect steals everything from the Japanese than any real sort of “plot”. However, the little threads that do appear there come together nicely, as they do in any good story, and we quickly have a slightly more cohesive narrative which provides a serious undertone and structure. A small cast of recurring characters slowly gathers which are given some nice characterisation through the chapters. I don't think that it's especially good. but its definitely not bad, and at the very least, Lucius is given something of a development over the course of the story that is satisfying to reflect on.

I really enjoyed the jokes and the history of this one. it’s a very nerdy comedy. But if you are into ancient Rome, it’s definitely worth a read.