Thermae Romae Novae

TV Series Review

During the Pax Romana (27 B.C. to 180 A.D.), the Roman Empire experienced a golden age in arts, technology and luxury. The pinnacles of this boom were the Thermae (public bathhouses) that seemed to dot every street corner.

But for aspiring bathhouse architect Lucius Modestus in 128 A.D., this explosion of luxury bathhouses means competition is fiercer. If you want anyone to attend your bathhouse over another, you’ve got to have something special about yours. And unfortunately for Lucius, none of his ideas are breaking any new ground.

That is until Lucius dives underwater in a bathhouse to gather his thoughts and reemerges in a bathhouse in modern-day Japan. Suddenly, he sees hundreds of brilliant ideas—bidets, shower visors, waterslides and more. How has Rome never encountered these people before!?

When he returns to Rome with “his” ideas, they’re a huge hit, and he quickly makes a name for himself. But with all the extra work he’s getting, he’s finding less and less time to be with his wife, Livia, who’s growing increasingly frustrated at his lack of commitment. And with the bathhouse demands of the Empire ever present, he sometimes feels as though the fate of Rome itself is falling squarely on his overworked back.

Who knew bathhouses could cause so much trouble?

Let Not the Sun Go Down on Your Bath

Thermae Romae Novae (literally, “New Roman Bathhouse”) is about, well, baths. Lots of them. As the show would have you believe, baths hold all of Roman society together, single-handedly revitalizing, healing and relaxing the citizens of the great empire.

The show is based on Mari Yamazaki’s manga Thermae Romae, which draws comparisons between Roman bathhouse culture with that of the bath culture in Japan. In the show, Mari is present for five minutes at the end of each episode, and we join her in visiting various authentic hot springs and bathhouses in Japan.

The majority of the program follows bathhouse architect Lucius as he visits modern-day Japan to obtain ideas for his own Roman bathhouses, often making crude versions of them with the tools he has available in his day. Often, the episodes follow the same general plot:  Lucius has a problem he needs to solve via bathhouse construction, and then he falls into a body of water, emerging in Japan. He finds the exact thing that will help him solve his problem, makes a few comments about how Japanese culture and cuisine is simply the best, and returns to Rome, where “his” idea saves the day once again. This cycle describes 90% of the show.

But let’s address the Carthaginian elephant in the bathhouse—the animated nudity.

In the days of Ancient Rome, where having a private bath was a luxury for the wealthy, bathing was a communal affair. Nudity was not seen as taboo in the general culture, and Thermae Romae Novae accurately depicts that sentiment, for better or for worse. Though viewers won’t be subjected to genitals (except for those on a marble statue), the backsides of men, women and children are clearly seen, and the breasts of women are barely covered by their arms or clever animation (except, again, for marble statues and a blurry painting, where they are seen).

Because nudity in bathhouses was the Roman custom and Lucius must go underwater to transport himself to Japan, Lucius often arrives in Japan naked. Many of Japan’s modern bathhouses and hot springs are also nude, so often he feels right at home. Other times, however, he unintentionally exposes himself to many men and women. In addition, frequent talk is made regarding male and female sexual organs. In one episode, a drunk naked woman attempts to grope Lucius in a bathhouse, and in others, sensual language is used in flirtatious ways. We also hear crudities such as “b–tard,” “a–,” “d–n” and a single use of the s-word, and a couple characters are seen drunk. God’s name is misused in modern-day Japan, while the same sentiment is said as “gods” in Ancient Rome.

We see and hear of various historical figures, events and places, such as the Trajan Bathhouse, the establishment of Aelia Capitolina and the adoption of Lucius Ceionius Commodus. The show itself occurs under the rule of Emperor Hadrian, known for building Hadrian’s Wall and lesser known for taking many young male lovers. One scene addresses his relationship with a man named Antinous.

While Thermae Romae Novae provides a (generally) historically based depiction of Roman bath culture, it prompts us to remember the crude and sensual culture the Romans and Greeks capitalized on. We are also reminded that just because a show is animated doesn’t mean that its elements are any less adult than a live-action series.