Pretense reviewed Thermae Romae by Mari Yamazaki
Review of 'Thermae Romae' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Mari Yamazaki’s Thermae Romae is a wildly specific type of work that just happens to check off all my boxes. We’ve got: ancient Rome, Roman baths, time travel, gags and funny hijinks, foreigners interacting with a new culture, and last but not least, Japanese bathing culture. Yamazaki’s work is the product of a particular idea, based on how the ancient Romans and Japanese have similar reverence for and love of bathing.
The premise surrounds Lucius Quintus Modestus, an architect whose designs are considered too traditional and old-fashioned for a growing, modern Rome under the Emperor Hadrian. After a chance slip and fall in his local therma, Lucius finds himself in an equivalent bathhouse in modern-day Japan. This forms the basis for the entirety of the storyline, and it’s a formula that Yamazaki repeats throughout this volume—each chapter has a variation on Lucius being stuck on ideas for baths, incidentally time …
Mari Yamazaki’s Thermae Romae is a wildly specific type of work that just happens to check off all my boxes. We’ve got: ancient Rome, Roman baths, time travel, gags and funny hijinks, foreigners interacting with a new culture, and last but not least, Japanese bathing culture. Yamazaki’s work is the product of a particular idea, based on how the ancient Romans and Japanese have similar reverence for and love of bathing.
The premise surrounds Lucius Quintus Modestus, an architect whose designs are considered too traditional and old-fashioned for a growing, modern Rome under the Emperor Hadrian. After a chance slip and fall in his local therma, Lucius finds himself in an equivalent bathhouse in modern-day Japan. This forms the basis for the entirety of the storyline, and it’s a formula that Yamazaki repeats throughout this volume—each chapter has a variation on Lucius being stuck on ideas for baths, incidentally time traveling to Japan, and bringing back with him modern-day ideas that are then repackaged into Roman style. Because of this, it can read as a bit formulaic, but Yamazaki does try to keep things interesting by adding some subplots and tension towards the end of the volume.
The characters in this manga are also delightful. Lucius here reminds me a bit of Lucius Vorenus from HBO’s Rome, as he’s got that unfaltering-duty-to-Rome and old-fashioned mindset about him. This quality makes seeing him interact with modern-day things even more amusing. The supporting cast, including Hadrian and other figures (many of whom are inspired by existing Romans), all contribute to a congenial atmosphere in the work. You can tell Yamazaki has done her research. There are a few moments where Latin is used somewhat awkwardly, but I’m willing to forgive because an attempt to use Latin at all was made. (Can you tell how much I’m nerding out over this?)
This was a good distraction in my otherwise busy reality, and though I haven’t been able to make myself finish a book recently, somehow it was easier to get through this manga (maybe because there’s less text). This is a must-read if your specific interests include ancient Rome, baths, Japanese culture, or any combination thereof. I’m excited to read the next volumes (and also very excited for the upcoming Netflix re-adaptation).
