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.
