REVIEW: Thermae Romae: The Complete Omnibus (manga) by Mari Yamazaki, translated by Stephen Paul

Thermae Romae is historical comedy with fantasy/time travel elements. I bought my copy new.

Review:

When Roman architect Lucius is criticized for his thermae (ancient Roman public bath) designs, he goes to a local public bath himself to collect his thoughts...and ends up in an onsen (Japanese public bath) in modern Japan. He doesn't immediately realize that's what happened, however, and thinks he's surrounded by slaves or foreigners. He's absolutely awestruck by what he sees at the onsen. When he is somehow transported back to ancient Rome, he tries to make some of the features of the onsen a reality in his own thermae designs. It's all an instant hit, catapulting Lucius into thermae architectural fame. 

As the series progresses, Lucius is repeatedly transported back and forth between modern Japan and ancient Rome. Each instance gives him more ideas, but also leaves him feeling conflicted about his pride as a Roman. 

This series is fantastic, and it makes me sad that so many will probably never read it, considering the niche subject matter. It doesn't really sound like there could be much to a historical comedy manga about ancient Rome and modern Japan's shared love of public baths, and yet somehow this series feels like it's just as long as it needs to be at over 1000 pages total.

Yen Press's omnibus edition is an absolute brick of a volume, which can make for awkward/uncomfortable reading but which gives the gorgeous artwork plenty of space to shine. I loved Lucius' ultra-serious facial expressions as he confronted new thermae design challenges and dealt with yet another out-of-nowhere time travel experience. You can feel Yamazaki's love for ancient Roman history and public baths on every page, but there's plenty of humor too, beyond the generally absurd premise. I particularly got a kick out of the running joke involving a horse that fell in love with Lucius (imagine a serious, beautifully illustrated moment...with a horse gazing at Lucius in the distance, surrounded by little happy hearts). 

Yamazaki's author's notes are great as well, and it's evident how much time, enthusiasm, and research went into this series.

Extras:

Author's notes and translation notes.