A modern Japanese man keeps falling into ancient Roman baths and has to explain contemporary hygiene to confused emperors. The comedy lives in that single premise, stretched across two episodes with the kind of matter-of-fact absurdity that makes you laugh at the setup before the punchline even lands. These specials exist for one reason: to watch someone frantically describe shower gel to Hadrian, and that is enough.

Thermae Romae Specials is a pair of comedy bonus episodes released with the Thermae Romae BD/DVD in 2012. Each episode is made up of two short segments. The first pairs "Miwaku no Farosu" (Alluring Pharos) with "Sanshimai OL Terumae Satsujin Jiken", a murder case involving three sisters. The second pairs "Subesube ni Naritai" (I Want to Have Smooth Skin) with "Hitasura Suberitai" (I Just Want to Slip).