01x10 - Lucius Builds a Theme Bath

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Attention all. I have come to you
with a message from the senate.

On this day, his majesty Caesar
Publius Aelius Hadrianus Emperor Hadrian

adopted a son into the royal family.

The name of this adopted son
and heir to the throne

is Lucius Ceionius Commodus.

And from this moment on,

he will be known as Lucius Aelius Caesar.

As a result of his adoption,

the new crowned prince
will be made a tribune

as well as granted a commandership.

To celebrate this momentous occasion…

-I miss anything good?
-Not much.

But apparently
Emperor Hadrian adopted a son

and appointed him
as the heir to the throne.

What's more, I've heard around the square
that he's quite the looker.

As usual, the emperor isn't taking
his priorities very seriously, is he?

No doubt about that.

Anyways, I'm starving.

Same here.
Let's go eat some grilled chicken.

Ceionius…

To henceforth be known as Aelius Caesar.

I've never made his acquaintance

but his majesty saw fit to choose him.

He must surely be a fine man.

Darling.

Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?

Why don't you come out of your office
and spend some time with me?

Oh, Livia.

It's been so long
since you've been at home like this.

We should take this opportunity
and make the most out of it.

Yes… you're right.

You know,

we married each other
quite some time ago now.

And since work hasn't been keeping you
as busy these days,

I'd love nothing more
than to have a child.

Well?

Lucius Modestus! Is there
a Lucius Modestus at this residence?

Hmm. What's this?

Yes? How can I help you?

I take it you're bathhouse designer,
Lucius Modestus?

I have come bearing a message
from the senate.

The senate, huh?

They wish for you to head to Tivoli
as soon as possible.

His majesty is currently at his villa
awaiting your arrival.

You see,

given the rate at which his condition
has been worsening, Lucius,

he requests that you set out at once.

Understood. I'll get ready posthaste.

Please do.

What is it, dear?

Well, my darling Livia, I'm sorry,

but it seems I have been summoned
to Tivoli on important business.

What are you saying?

You told me you'd spend this vacation
at home for once!

Yes I know and I'm very sorry

but this is a direct order
from his majesty. Please dear,

you have to understand.

I see. Whatever.

Go on to Tivoli
if that's what you want to do.

So you do understand?

I'll be going back to my parents' house.

Your parents'?!

Hey! Hold on, Livia!

Livia!

Sir Lucius, we have been waiting for you.

Are you doing okay?

I'm fine… I think.

Right, well, anyway…

Follow me, I'll bring you inside.

It's fine, don't worry.

But I feel sorry for your wife.

That's nothing
you need to concern yourself about.

Yeah, but still…

Your lips feel just as I imagined.

I can't take much more.

Your breasts are quite bountiful.

How utterly shameful!

To think that I would find
such a perverted man at this villa?

Sir Lucius, is something bothering you?

No, it's nothing.

Emperor Hadrian,

I've brought the designer
Lucius Modestus as you requested.

Good. Can you summon Ceionius for me?

Sire.

Welcome, Sir Lucius,
I thank you for coming.

Have you been doing well?

Yes, thanks to your majesty.

My sincerest apologies
for summoning you so suddenly

but there is something of the utmost
importance that I must ask of you.

Are you okay, your majesty?

I'm fine.

It is but a cough.

More importantly,
you've heard of my adopted son, correct?

I have.

The senate made a formal announcement
in the city.

Then things are moving along
rather quickly.

-Father!
-Oh, and there he is.

I… I've seen
this handsomely bearded face somewhere.

It's him!
That lecherous b*stard from before.

Lucius, my friend.

This man before you
is the heir to the throne, Ceionius.

Oh, so you're the famous Lucius Modestus?

I've heard so much about you
from my father.

This is the man who his majesty
has selected

to become the next emperor of Rome?

Please, Sir Lucius,

I need your help and your expertise

with building a huge bathhouse
for the masses.

One that will earn Prince Ceionius
favor with the people.

You want me to what?

The truth of the matter is

the senate already sees me
as a threat to them.

And recently,
I've been in very poor health.

The day is coming for Ceionius.

He will soon ascend the throne.

Father, don't say that.

But my motivations for this project
go beyond that.

I also want to show the senate
that I've chosen wisely.

I would like you to build a bathhouse
that will inspire the people of Rome

and help them believe in the new ruler.

I'm loathed to make something
for this man's sake

but if it will please his majesty, then…

Understood.

That's excellent. I had been hoping
you would say as much.

Once you're back in Rome,
please begin immediately.

We'll be counting on you.

Take care, Father.

Such a pathetic letch of a man
as our next emperor,

the Roman Empire will be finished

-Lucius, my friend.
-Yes sir?

Please listen.

Livia, Livia! I've returned!

Livia…
Well, I guess she hasn't come back yet.

I have no choice now

but to complete the task
his majesty has given me.

But how exactly…

With his dashingly handsome looks,
I imagine Ceionius

is quite popular with the ladies.

But has he really got what it takes
to be the next emperor of Rome?

I hate to think this way

but what if the only reason
his majesty chose him was his beauty?

If that is the case, the senate
most certainly won't stay quiet.

The very peace of Rome

depends on the success of my bathhouse.

That's right.

Sir Apollodorus was charged

with constructing
a grand bathhouse for Emperor Trajan.

Perhaps I can gain some insight
from observing his work up close.

I suppose
I'll head to the Trajan bathhouse.

Hmm.

So, I am to make something
even grander than the Trajan bathhouse.

No small feat to be sure.

Am I capable of accomplishing
such a large task?

What do you know?
If it isn't the great Lucius Modestus.

Sir Apollodorus.

To think we would meet here of all places.

But you're spacing out, my boy.
Are you not going inside?

Well, yes, I am.

I just have things on my mind.

Oh, the emperor's saddled you with another
troublesome job then, has he?

Well, you're not going to accomplish
anything standing out here.

What do you say we have ourselves
a nice warm soak and talk it out?

Um…

If you don't mind my asking,
Sir Apollodorus,

there's something I'd like to know.

What exactly was going through your head

when you were coming up with the design
for this bathhouse?

Well, let's see here.

As far as I can remember,

I wasn't thinking about
anything in particular at the time.

For the most part,

my thoughts about Emperor Trajan

consisted of what a splendid fellow
I found him to be.

So I put all of the profound respect
I had for him

into making this bathhouse
the best around.

When the thought of that
shallow womanizer enters my mind,

all I find myself feeling
is a deep sense of resentment.

I couldn't respect that man
in the slightest even if I tried.

So tell me,

what exactly does his majesty
have you working on

that's got your head in a tizzy?

Actually, I--

You dumb kids!

Don't you munchkins know better than
to throw ba*ls around in the bathhouse?

-Run away!
-Run away.

I swear, for some reason, it feels like
more and more unruly children

are coming to use the bath these days.

With peace times,
there's no w*r,

but that also means the population
just keeps on increasing.

And with all these little rascals
constantly making a ruckus,

it's getting harder and harder to relax.

Well, of course it is.

Bathhouses have never been made
to accommodate children after all.

They get bored way too quickly.

Noisy doesn't even begin to describe it.

It seems like everyone is being
troubled by these rambunctious children.

Hmm.

How about having designated times
for adults and children to bathe?

That would be nice.

But ever since mixed bathing was banned,

men and women have already worked out
designated times for bathing.

Further distinguishing
between adults and children

would most assuredly be bothersome.

Mm hmm.

My goodness…

Cut out all that racket!

Come on, hurry!

There we go.

What in Jupiter's name are you doing?

Come down from that statue at once!

That's the statue of Laocoön

and his sons getting eaten by serpents.

Keeping doing cursed things like that

and the serpents will surely gobble up
you disrespectful runts too!

-No way that's gonna happen!
-Let's run!

Hey, hold it right there!

-That man's gonna eat us!
-Get back here!

I'm not letting you get away
with that mess in my bathhouse!

Well,
I guess you can't exactly blame children

for finding ways to entertain themselves
in a boring place like this.

Well, kids will be kids.

Think you can make it over his head?

-Huh?
-I can do it!

That's right.

What Rome truly needs now

is a bathhouse that all these newly born
children can enjoy as much as the adults.

If such a bathhouse were to exist,

I have no doubt that it would bring
Ceionius the people's favor.

Instead of some old sculpture,

I'll create something the children of Rome
can really enjoy.

That's it!

What madness!

I'll never be able
to come up with anything good

under such ridiculous circumstances!

I must give my ideas form at once.

A waterfall?

No, wait.

This is… hot. Hot water flowing?

Did a human come down the falls?

I must make absolutely sure.

What exactly am I looking at?

Hot water pouring down a slope
made of marble.

And the flat faces come sliding down
one after the other.

Could it be…
is this yet another kind of bathhouse?

Um, staff member,
that guy doesn't have a swimsuit on!

He's totally nude!

What could be their reasoning
behind building something of this nature?

Hey, come on, mister, cover up!

Ah. I see, you're a foreign guest.

You must not know
that this is the swimsuit zone.

For now just go ahead
and put this towel on, alright?

Quickly now. Not everybody wants to see
your thingy hanging out, you know?

Please, hurry up.

In here, nudity is a no-go. No!

Ah, jeez.

This guy has no idea
what I'm saying, does he?

No!

-Please, towel… roll…
-Now that you mention it…

not a single person here is naked.

So one cannot simply enjoy the sense
of freedom that comes with nudity here.

It seems then that this bath is not used
for the purpose of relaxing.

So, this your first time
coming to a park like this?

That house there
is many, many hot spring baths. Enjoy!

He's telling me there's more
to see in that building across the way.

Now just keep in mind.
All nude, no! Okay? You got that?

Welcome. Have a nice day!

A bath that's made for something
other than relaxation?

I'll have to see this for myself.

This is…

So, the water is hot.

It's carrying me away!

The water's spouting out.

So this is how
they're making that current.

No doubt a servant is behind this wall
rowing away.

But why is it necessary?

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE
PLEASE RETURN AFTER USE

It's surprisingly difficult.

It's as if I'm riding a wild,
unruly horse.

Is this some sort of
training for horseback riding?

Certainly if you were to fall off,
no injury would come to your body.

Do they have separate floating mounts
based on the rider's skill?

So it's true that this bath
isn't for the purpose of relaxation.

It's a training ground.

This new age training from the flat faces

should be no match
for a well-trained Roman such as myself.

Alright! We're going all the way around.

They've made that area shallow enough

for even infants to enter alone.

That's certainly one way
to foster their children's independence.

One cannot underestimate the flat faces.

They even have a bath with wine
instead of water for the adults.

Yes, there must also be a place
for the elders to relax.

Excellent work yet again,
my flat faced friends.

My word, there's a servant
waiting inside of this chair?

A chair that soothes one's tired muscles

after a long
and productive training session.

What a novel idea.

This is most comfortable.

Even my arms and legs?
How many servants does this chair contain?

The flat faces, they're truly terrifying!

I take it you've never seen
a massage chair before.

You must be a foreigner.

Come have a drink with me.

Here in Japan, there's a rule
that we've got to drink one of these

when we get out of the bath.

I'm just messing with you.

I already took off the lid. Here you go.

This refreshment is that milk
mixed with fruit syrup from before.

Flat faces seem to share a great pride
in this ambrosial beverage.

Pwah! That's good.

BOTTLES

Well, I hope you enjoy yourself
while you're in Japan.

Good luck out there, buddy.

I'm actually very grateful.

I was just thinking
I wanted to drink one of these.

Sublime!

Nothing compares to the real thing.

This must be a necessary practice
at this bathhouse too.

I must try that hot water slide as well!

Hey, will the next three guests

please standby for your turn on the slide?

In ancient Sparta,

the elders would put children
through fierce and rigorous training

to bolster the strength of the nation.

But to think the people of this world
use baths for this purpose.

For now, I must investigate.

Let's give this slide a try and determine

what exactly it's training.

Help me!

So this activity is meant
for training one's mental fortitude.

It's terribly frightening but also…

exhilarating!

With the aid of this hot water slide,

guests can build their courage
while also enjoying themselves!

This attraction will most definitely
catch on in Rome!

What Rome needs now

is a bathhouse that adults and children
can enjoy equally.

And the brilliant flat faces
have already accomplished this.

-How wonderful!
-Watch out!

Marcus, Marcus!

Hey, Marcus, are you busy?

Yo Lucius! What's with the towel?

I need you to prepare
some massive marble slabs for me.

It doesn't matter how many.

Huh?

Hey, pops, one skewer please.

Sure, coming right up.

So, have you heard about that awesome
new bathhouse they're putting together?

Apparently,
the new emperor had it commissioned

as a special gift for the people of Rome.

Oh yeah?

That new emperor is really something.

Seems like it's a new design too.

Suppose to be a one-of-a-kind bathhouse.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

I wonder when they're gonna
open their doors to the public.

Personally, I can't wait.

Did you not hear me
when I said I would be going first?

Right, my apologies.

Stay back, it's my turn.

That's just not right and you know it,
sir praetor!

You've already had the chance
to go down the slide twice, have you not?

Yes, that's true.

This is quite fun!

The old guys have been playing all day,
when's it gonna be our turn to try?

How come only the adults get
to ride the slide? It's no fair!

Why did things turn out this way?

Far from protecting the peace of Rome,

this bathhouse will only end up
sowing more discord among its people.

Why won't these stubborn fools line up
in an orderly fashion like the flat faces?

At the rate this is going,

right at the very moment
Ceionius takes the throne officially…

Rome will split apart!

Listen up, you two.

Think about it like this.

Sometimes old guys
want to try being kids again.

They're always working hard for us,
so let them have their fun.

Yeah but…

Here, let's go over
and wait in that bath over there.

That boy is…

I really want to try it though.

I must teach them how to train properly.

Climb aboard.

Alright there, off you go!

We don't even have to row!

Wow! This is so amazing!

That young man understood precisely
what to do just by taking a quick glance.

And what's more, he chose the most stable
wooden horse from the bunch.

A child truly wise beyond his years.

Marcus!

Come on, Marcus, join us!

On my way!

So that's Marcus Verus.

Lucius, my friend.

Please listen well.

The truth is, the one who was supposed
to ascend the throne is Marcus Verus.

But he's only 15 years old,

far too young to become emperor…

and my body will soon give out.

Marcus comes from a distinguished family

and is wise beyond his years.

On top of that, he lives a frugal life.

If that young man
were the one becoming emperor,

I would not need you to construct
a grand bathhouse to curry favor for him.

In truth, he's capable of earning
the trust of the citizens all on his own.

However…

Ceionius is different.

Of course, Ceionius seems foolish

but when the time comes, he can calmly
judge what needs to be taken care of.

He's perfectly capable
of assuming the throne.

I see.

However,
those detractors of mine in the senate

may want to remove Ceionius
the moment he sits on the throne

by spreading word
of his rather problematic shortcomings

to all the people of Rome.

At least until Marcus grows
and matures a little further,

it is of utmost importance that
Ceionius maintains a seat at the throne

by any means necessary.

As you can see, that's why
currying the favor among the people

is my top priority at the moment.

So I beg of you,

please aid me in creating a bathhouse
that will give form to that ideal.

One which the people of Rome
most fervently desire.

To help them believe in their new emperor,

I'm counting on you, Sir Lucius.

It's true that we can
entrust Rome to him without worry.

We're not getting anywhere!

I'll decide the order we slide.

How about the ones who get to go first
are the elderly?

Oh.

-We can't argue with that.
-That Ceionius.

Looks like he has some leadership skills
in him after all.

His majesty's judgement was right indeed.

I was a fool to doubt him
for even a moment.

Now then, all that remains

is to see whether or not this bathhouse
is to the new emperor's liking.

All right.

-I'm counting on you.
-Yes, sir.

How are things?

Using wine in a bath
seems a bit extravagant

but I admit it has a certain luxury to it.

I must say,
my skin has become quite smooth.

This new massage method
is truly exquisite.

Mm hmm.

It worried me
when the counsel started bickering.

But I think it's safe to say
I've managed to fulfill my grand duty.

All right!
I'm going to slide to my heart's content!

I gave up on the idea
of having children bathe separately

but I think this worked out quite well.

Hopefully,
the people will find it to be enjoyable.

Oh, Sir Lucius, hello!

You've outdone yourself
with this bathhouse.

Even my father was pleased
with your work here.

Really, his majesty was?

Say, Sir Lucius,

I wonder who can slide down faster.
Care to see?

-A race?
-That's right.

Understood.
You can consider your challenge accepted.

A competition, eh? How childish.

However,
to turn down a challenge of any kind

would be an affront to my honor
as a Roman and a man!

Are you ready to get started?

But of course.

Ready, go!

With this incredible bathhouse…

The Roman Empire
will have a bright future!

May Rome live on forever!

Thermae Romae. The Hot Spring Tour.

Author Ms. Mari Yamazaki

embarked on a journey to rediscover
Japan's bathing culture.

The hot spring isn’t the only thing
at the hot spring town.

In fact, there are many forms
of entertainment.

I’d like to give one a try.

Welcome.

-Have you ever been to a sh**ting gallery?
-No.

Okay, I'll explain how it works.

Pull it back until it clicks,
and it'll spring forward.

That's good.

I'm swaying.

This is difficult.

That's right.

I'll try it again.

That was close. You grazed it.

-I grazed it?
-Yes.

Oh no. I'm losing b*ll*ts.

Slowly pull the trigger. Then…

You did it!

You're on a roll now.

All right! That's a double!

I'm sure these will look good on you.

You got seven points.

How lovely.

-You can have the rings, or…
-What's this?

Are these poop?

Yes.

It's three carats.

As you're walking around,

you’ll see steam rising
from places aside from the hot springs.

Those are

manju shops.

Welcome.

Are you steaming it right now?

Yes, that's right.

-Is that freshly made?
-Yes, it is.

How many manju do you steam every day?

We steam about 1000 to 2000 a day.

Please try one.

Thank you. It's beautiful.

Be careful, it's hot.

It's so warm.

-It's so warm. I'm going to try it.
-Please be careful. It's hot.

-It's good.
-Yes.

The red bean paste…

-It's packed with red bean paste.
-Yes, the outside layer is very thin.

I love the thin outer layer.

-Yes.
-It's really soft and moist.

Onsen manju is a staple
when visiting a hot spring in Japan.

Thank you.

THERMAE MEMORY

A hot spring town isn’t just
a place for hot springs.

You can enjoy all sorts
of entertainment as well.

It warms you up
both internally and externally.

I don’t think anyone eats

onsen manju inside the hot spring.

That warm texture of the onsen manju ,

and going to the sh**ting gallery

and communicating with people
at the sh**ting gallery,

are all part of the inner warmth.

That's why I chose to draw this.

Thermae Romae. The Hot Spring Tour.

Next episode is the final episode.

Please look forward to it.