Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2014

You may be familiar with this time slip franchise by now (a theme Japan seems to love). The hit manga by Mari Yamazaki, Thermae Romae, has won many awards, including the prestigious Tezuka Osamu Cultural Award. In 2012, the comic was turned into a massively successful comedic live action feature (reviewed in this space) starring rising talent Hiroshi Abe and grossed around $75 million. The story concerns Roman bath designer Lucius (Abe) and his trials to carry out his job. Faced with a tough task of building a new bath he discovers a hidden tunnel from a Roman bathhouse that leads to a sento in modern-day Japan. What he learns there helps him solve his work challenges. In this, the second part, the audience is treated to much the same plot: Lucius must design a healing bath for gladiators and again travels to contemporary Japan for inspiration. He again meets up with his love interest Manami (Aya Ueto) and experiences the truly weird and wonderful world of Japan. There’s also a subplot about Rome becoming divided as the Senate opposes the Emperor on extending the empire. Abe’s comedic timing is exquisite and while some of the jokes may be trite and predictable, the laughs are plentiful. As one of the more clever franchises in Japanese entertainment, it deserves its numerous incarnations as an enjoyable comedy-fantasy rich in imagination. (113 min.)