Plinius

  Another hidden gem of Historical Manga that is overlooked by me until recently and this one is another high quality work. If you like Thermae Romae, this one will not disappoint because it is made by the same mangaka, Mari Yamazaki who is one of the few Japanese mangaka that had intimate knowledge about Roman civilization.

 Taking place during the middle reign of Emperor Nero, Plinius is essentially a biography manga for Pliny the Elder, one of the leading figure in natural science in his time. Through this character you get to see Rome Empire during its height which is a rarity for this medium. Compared to Thermae Romae or Cestvs series, Plinius strength lies in its wide coverage of Roman Civilization life that only high budget movie or TV series could rival. To me what Plinius did the best is its Depiction of Rome which fleshes out the inherent flaw of the City that caused it dubbed as Sin Cit. The original manga spans over 12 Volumes and so far only 4 Volumes are translated, but hopefully the translation will catch up someday just like Thermae Romae. Seriously Mari Yamazaki is another top tier mangaka who is worth following because she is another mangaka that i can think of apart from Urasawa who follows the path of Osamu Tezuka.