Thermae Romae Novae (2022) User Reviews

Fantastically wholesome and quirky.

[plefort · 8/10 · 29 March 2022]

It's a fantastic show, filled with good wholesome humor. Goofy character devolpment It's really something different that stands out in the genre.

At the end of each episode we get a snippet of the manga artist visiting the hotsprings that inspired her to make this. It's truly fascinating. The artistic style of the show is good. It's worth watching if you're in the mood for something different and offbeat.

A bit thin

[NeonRainSurfing · 8/10 · 1 April 2022]

The idea is nice, the episodes are short and watchable, and Ms. Yamazaki's short documentaries at the end are very interesting.

It has a few flaws - not much happens in the episodes, and the formula quickly becomes repetitive. While there is an overall plot, there's just not much of it.

(And I guess, a cultural quibble: an ancient Roman would not overwork himself like a Tokyo salaryman - it would be undignified for a well-bred free man of means).

That said, it was fun to watch.

Unexpected, catchy and funny

[paraspkhaitan · 8/10 · 1 April 2022]

This show is really crazy. The comic builds up more as the episodes progress. The animation quality is okay. The writer Mari Yamazaki and specially the voice actor Tsuda Kenjiro deserve all the credit. The emotions TK expresses with his voiceovers are beyond outstanding. Given how dumb the concept is, i really admire how much effort both MY and TK have put in the show. I feel like the writer wants to tell her audience to think of all the therapeutic benefits of taking a nice bath. Her pilgrimage trips at the end of each episodes will definitely turn into popular tourist spots. I think people should give this show a try.

Nostalgia for the legacy of beautiful cultures

[nbalaschsola · 3 April 2022]

I loved seeing the architecture, urbanism, and societies in Ancient Rome and Japan. Seeing such beautiful cultures through this story was captivating, fun, and inspiring. I didn't like the first episode, but I loved the rest.

Absurd, Hilarious, Educational, and Historically Accurate

[RebelPanda · 7/10 · 2 August 2022]

A culturally explorative period piece that utilizes time travel to compare bathhouse culture, architecture, and technology in modern Japan to the Roman Empire. It is driven by the author's love for Thermae architecture. Some very creative compositions are undercut by CGI crowds and overexposed lighting. The Roman protagonist's inability to understand the Japanese language or modern technology was always funny. The main joke never got old to me because of the endless possibilities. Both the original and English voice acting really carried the script. Their over-the-top performances never ceased to be hilarious.

I watched Thermae Romae Novae in 24 hours, which I rarely ever do nowadays (25-30 minute episodes) because it was such a weird and enjoyable slice-of-life. It is the remake of the first adaptation of Mari Yamazaki by the same name. At the end of every episode, there is a brief travel vlog from the mangaka herself learning about bathhouse features such as how to clean baths, the architecture, food and drinks associated with baths, festivals, etc. You can really tell she loves Roman and Japanese history. A bigger budget and more resources benefited the material greatly. I hope there will be more of this show with better animation. I could watch dozens more episodes.

Blissful history telling

[ifaan · 10/10 · 28 March 2022]

Love every bits of it. Very well done. Love the old school style of animation. Everyone need to watch it. Its such a little gem of hot spring. Japanese hot spring is always a little gift from the past. I would love to visit japan one day.

Unique Storyline, Beautiful Art & Funny Adventure

[sisubalan · 7/10 · 7 August 2022]

Really loving this art work and unique storyline. Big fan of hand drawn animation styles and anime. Reminds me a lot of jojo franschise. Bonus short scenes at the end of every episodes brings us to the journey for hot water springs around japan together with the friendly and talented author herself. Cant wait for her other projects in future. Highly recommended.

A great anime.

[ryurseiwinter · 10/10 · 29 March 2022]

I recommend watching this show. It is basically about a bathhouse architect, going forwards in time to different eras of Japan, fascinated by the bathhouse culture of the country and tries his best to replicate the culture back home.

Although the main character was kind of unaware that he actually went forwards in time in different eras of another far-off eastern country, his reactions about the technological advances in the places he ended up in was quite funny.

The best adaptation so far

[residentgrigo · 7/10 · 2 July 2022]

The 2022 anime adapted up to chapter 17 (of 38) while skipping chapters 6, 8, 10 and 14. The noticeably weaker 1st and 7th episodes are anime only and 7 of the episodes are based on 30-page chapters so the content is expanded beyond reason at times. The anime also invents its own epilogue that makes the time travel romance that begins in chapter 18 of the manga and then continues for the rest of the series impossible. So this is half an original anime with a somewhat changed characterization of the now more buffoonish protagonist. I could have lived without some rather jarring CG use and the show looks a bit too "yellow" at times but the end result is superior to the no-budget adaptation from 2012 and whatever the hell those movies were. Not a replacement for the award-winning manga but a fine watch anyway. I wouldn´t mind seeing the rest adapted but don´t expect it to happen. 7/10.

Thermae Romae Big Bang !

[theoreia · 10/10 · 18 April 2022]

It is rather puzzling how well everything is put together to bring forth profound and unique emotional experiences. The amount of feel good moments is staggering in this series. Watching this serie makes me feel happy even after endtitles. There is something in it that touches deeper. In this modern world it is so easy to get disconnected even from very foundational requirement of well being - warm bath, which by the way is all there is for the first nine months of our lives. I am very thankful of this brilliantly joyful serie.

Mixed feelings

[Waltram · 6/10 · 17 October 2023]

It's nice to have an anime series about ancient Rome. I've read a lot about the ancient Romans and I was pleased to see that the depiction of the streets of Rome were realistic enough (except the Roman legionaries, who for some reason wear black armours and helmets instead of shiny metallic ones). It's not a historical series though, as the main character travels in time and space to Japan (either in the 21st century or the Edo period). I couldn't help but feel that the mangaka (Ms. Yamazaki)'s purpose with this anime was to boast about the superiority of Japanese culture. Whenever Lucius is in Japan anything he sees or tries appears to be so much better than in Rome, be it the baths, the food, the drinks (sake, beer, milk), or even the furniture (oshiire). The ancient Romans despised beer, which was the drink of the uncivilised Celts and Germanic tribes. In the series, Lucius seems to discover beer as a novelty and something that he finds amazing, which is very dubious. He also discovers natural hot springs in Japan when in fact the Romans also had some, notably around Neapolis.

A culture funny anime

[mas_daza · 10/10 · 20 August 2022]

So original!

To view with family, so much facts and information between cultures, incredible art job. Hilarious funny.

The extra minutes with the autor are very satisfactory.

relaxing but problematic

[gehete-40949 · 5/10 · 30 August 2023]

I really enjoyed most of the episodes, they are basically documentaries on roman and japanese bathing culture seen through the lens of a roman bathhouse architect who by accident travels through time and learns about the bathing practices in japan. Every episode ends with him returning from the time travel trip adopting everything he sees from modern japan. As he does so he gains notoriety to the degree of recognition by the emperor.

Before credits you get to watch a short real life documentary about the bath houses he visits. It is clearly state backed still a relaxing watch.

One episode however grates the nerves as the clearly xenophobic insensitive japanese perspective for foreigners is shown. They are depicted as savage hoodlums without any care for sophistication.

That kind of threw me off guard and just made me shake my head as I was reminded that whilst the glorification of the home country was clearly the goal, xenophobia added into it just leaves a sour taste watching the show.

I don't mind a country patting itself on the back but this amount of pride mixed with hatred toward the foreign is just dangerous and breeds bad ideas. It is a simple show but unfortunately also made by simple people. 5/10.

Adorable mix of Japanese and Roman cultures!

[wnwbsnh · 8/10 · 1 April 2022]

If you like both modern Japan and Ancient Rome then this little series is perfect for you. It's well made, entertaining and quite funny. There is an overall plot but it's more about bathhouses and bath culture, and the short documentaries at the end of each episode add to that feeling. Ancient Rome is portrayed beautifully in the anime part.

I definitely recommend it!

It's not a complex piece of art but it's really chilling.

[pedrohossri · 8/10 · 13 May 2022]

That's all. It is an anime that follows a formula every episode but I mean it's very good. The anime is about thermas, bath houses and you feel like you're entering one watching an episode, it's good, really good.

Love and passion

[Cylonpi · 10/10 · 16 June 2022]

The story is not important, is the way you tell it, But, When the story tells something fresh and new, this makes the perfect serie.

Love and passion are everything for a storyteller.

Constant misses

[austinpren · 1/10 · 29 March 2022]

Attempts a stylistic approach at traditional art but it comes through as unfinished. The characters are generally unlikable, especially the main character. The story feels choppy and lacks any sort of hook.

The jumps to Japan were mildly amusing, but quickly grew stale.

Literally one of the stupidest Anime's I've ever watched.

[slidextreme · 1/10 · 1 August 2022]

I'm surprised Netflix even decided to put this on their platform. It's rated TV-MA but it's literally a history lesson and a show for kids. So not only will adults be annoyed with it because it's so freaking boring but kids can't watch it either. I'm dumbfounded by this. I can't comprehend why this series got such a high rating except by the people who decided to make this garbage. And that's what it is garbage. I'm sorry a 7 rating for this nonsense when other anime that's twice as good is getting a rating of 6.3. IDMB should be ashamed about this. The only people rating this show are the people who made it. It's beyond slow, the same thing happens every episode, there is no real story and it becomes quite annoying to watch....and I LOVE ANIME!!!!!!