Hot Springs Episode - Television Tropes & Idioms

The cast finds a reason to spend an episode at an onsen, or hot spring -- a popular type of Japanese resort/attraction similar to communal bathing. Naturally this provides an excusable opportunity for Fan Service if a show is so inclined, although some shows aimed at younger kids will use toweled characters. Some series' that aren't geared towards younger viewers will broadcast with towels, but remove them for the DVD releases, as an incentive to buy them.

In milder situations, this is merely equivalent to a bath scene where the episode slows down so the characters can relax and think about the events of the day. Often a trip to an onsen will lead to characters accidentally seeing each-other in the nude. Or intentionally seeing each other in the nude. Or falling onto each other in the nude... whatever they want, really, as long as someone ends up naked.

Occasionally, there may be a little ping-pong playing afterwards.

The low-budget version of this is the sento episode, where the characters go to the public bath house together. Usually, it's because there's a plumbing or other utility failure at home.

Cousin to the Beach Episode.

Examples:

Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki visited a hot springs resort in one of the early episodes. Ryoko liked it so much she built an onsen of her own; most of the subsequent episodes have at least one scene therein.
Love Hina is set in a girls' dormitory that used to be a hot springs resort; the girls living there use the spring, and the entire show can be considered a single continuous Hot Springs Episode (except, of course, for its several Beach Episodes).
Early on, Mahou Sensei Negima involves quite a bit of action in the pool-sized bath, although not that kind of action. It dies down after the authorial feint runs its course and the genre shifts from Love Hina Spiritual Sequel to Dragon Ball Spiritual Sequel, the "it" dying down here referring to use of naked ladies in the bath, not that shriveling up. Get your mind out of the gutter.
- Still an enormous amount of Fan Service, though. This is Ken Akamatsu we're talking about.
Outlaw Star Episode 23, "Hot Springs Planet Tenrei" (as might be suspected from the title) dropped its Hot Springs Episode dead smack dab in the middle of the series' climactic plot Arc. This episode was dropped from the dubbed airing in the U.S. simply because of how much nudity would have to be edited out of it. However, unlike typical fanservice episodes, there is a significant plot point in this one that may lead to confusion in following episodes, as Gene obtains four exceedingly rare caster shells; that's why he really went there in the first place.
Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu Episode 9, alternatively titled "The Hot Springs Episode", is a direct parody of the hot springs cliche (among others), and features three male characters trying to infiltrate a women's bath, fully protected by a steel wall between the male and female sides to prevent peeking, sentry guns and mines.
Gundam: 08th MS Team has a fairly contrived hot springs scene where the lead couple have to survive in a snowfield, and the hero creates an improvised hot spring to keep them warm by melting and heating the snow with his heavily-damaged robot's beam saber. It's even more contrived in Gundam SEED Destiny, where two of the female leads discuss things in an onsen on board a battleship.
Fruits Basket has an episode where Kyo, Tohru, Momiji and Yuki visit the hot springs resort owned by the Sohma family. Not as much fanservice for guys, but a fair amount for the female audience.
Ichigo Mashimaro and Ranma 1/2 both have sento episodes, and Ranma has more than one onsen episode and even more in the original manga (the bath seemed to break every other week and this was sometimes just used to start the story).
The closing credits of Grenadier.
- ...and the first episode of Grenadier...and the second...and the fourth (both sento sequences)...and the eighth...the lady loved her baths.
Patlabor had one sento episode. Which was a subversion in several ways. Firstly, it followed the male members into the bath, to locate a mad-bomber with “three moles in the left armpit”. Fanservice was not a major point (though ye olde black dots got a workout), the guys never even tried to sneak a peek at the ladies’ side. Ironic since the bomber was a woman.
A later Patlabor OAV “Versus” could be considered a Hot Springs Episode. Although it would be better called a Ryokan (Inn) episode. The characters are only seen coming back from the springs and the whole episode is about a contest/rivalry between Kanuka Clancy (back off the bus, on vacation) and her replacement Takeo Kumagami. Which starts with trivia questions, escalates through drunken tongue-twisters, and ends up with seeing who can throw Ohta out a window better. The only character we see in a spring is Captain Gotoh (oh, and Ohta, but he’s wearing a robe).
Popotan has an episode where the characters visit not just one, but almost every single onsen in Japan.
Possibly the only time this has ever happened without any intended fanservice is on Yu-Gi-Oh GX, when Judai/Jaden and allies visited the school's onsen.
Video game example: One of the inns in Tales of Symphonia is also a hot spring, and going there with Zelos in the party after a certain plot event results in a cutscene where Zelos tries to spy on the female party members while they're bathing. Lloyd shows up and chastises him, but the ladies hear him and Zelos runs off, leaving Lloyd to take the blame. The game even gives Lloyd the title of "Peeping Tom".
- The original bathing scenes in Tales Of Phantasia had peeping on both sides: Chester on the male side, and Arche on the female. Chester also gained the title of Muscleman, Mint the title "Boin~chan". Tales Of Eternia had no wall-watching, although Rid did have to smuggle Chat into the men's dressing room to get one of her skills.
Video game example: Riviera The Promised Land and Yggdra Union, two Gameboy Advance games developed by Sting, both feature a hidden "hot springs scene" where the games' female characters appear naked. Bafflingly, the American version of Yggdra Union's hot springs scene actually shows MORE than the Japanese version.
- One of the jokes about Reviera is that the only way to tell gender for some NPCs is whether or not they appear in the bathing scenes; they are female if they appear in one, and every female appears in one.
Webcomic example: In one El Goonish Shive strip, the characters recapping the plot to each other is covered up by scenes from the "Lucky Bunny Bounty Show" -- both of which involve the male character accidentally walking in on the female character in an onsen.
The Wallflower had an episode set in a hot spring, which featured a murder mystery, and Sunako generally creeping out everyone staying at their hotel.
Somewhat subverted on Read or Die: The TV. They all go to the hot springs, but none of the main characters remove so much as their jackets. The one 'guest star' who does take off her clothes ends up brutally murdered. In the spring. And then her bodyguard activates an ancient device that destroys the springs entirely in a massive explosion. Hmm. Maybe more than 'somewhat' subverted.
Hana Yori Dango has a couple of episodes that take place at an onsen, where Tsukushi passes out in the onsen and has to be rescued by Rui.
The Rurouni Kenshin anime has not one, but two onsen episodes. Both involving characters accidentally seeing each other naked.
Even Neon Genesis Evangelion had one settled right after a mission. It featured Shinji bathing with Pen-Pen at one side, and Asuka and Misato bathing and talking at the other.
- Incidentally, it seems that every bath scene ends up with Pen-Pen seeing a bit more of Shinji than he probably would have wanted.
Naruto has had a few hot springs episodes, mostly played up for comic value.
- In one episode, Naruto and friends use the hot springs as an excuse to see Kakashi's real face, only to find that he bathes with his mask on.
- In another, the cast stops by a resort on the way back from a long plot arc. Lovable Sex Maniac Jiraiya immediately heads for the springs to take advantage of all the Fan Service. The females, in a moment of clarity decide to spend their time in the casino rather than the water. While the plot unfolds we are treated to repeated cutaways of Jiraiya sharing the water with monkeys, Sumo Wrestlers, and elderly old women. By the time the young women show up, Jiraiya has been in the hot water so long he's passed out from Heatstroke.
- The post-Time Skip series Shippuuden continues in the same vein. When the new team stays at the onsen, the bathing scenes are just... bathing scenes, though we do see Naruto briefly considering peeking on Sakura. Then he's told what happened when Jiraiya tried it on Tsunade... and Sakura's her apprentice, with temper and strength to match. He decides he likes his ribs and internal organs where they are.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei has a hilarious episode in which the gang decides to detox at a hot springs facility. Fanservice is mocked, the class of highly problematic students actually turns normal...leading Itoshiki to re-tox them with highly caloric food.
Sukisho the last episode. Taking into consideration that it is more or less filler it is not surprising that fanservice should abound.
Gakuen Heaven also has one of these episode.
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World had a hot springs scene where ALL of the series' female characters participated. Granted, nudity in This Ugly Yet Beautiful World is more plentiful than Ho Yay in Revolutionary Girl Utena, but the hot springs scene shows almost full nudity for all the characters, including the one nude shot of the female preteen character. Then the very next episode was a Beach Episode...
Ai Yori Aoshi did this twice.
Lunar: The Silver Star featured a spring, but only the males were allowed to use it. The Play Station remake added a girls' only spring, providing the expected Fan Service.
The sixth episode of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann had the main characters directed to a hot spring by an old man. Kamina and Simon needed the concept explained to them, as both had grown up underground. The spring turned out to be a Ganmen in disguise. Also, there was a wardrobe malfunction. Followed by an explosion.
Tales Of Phantasia had multiple hot spring scenes, displaying fence-peeping on both sides.
Get Backers has two. One involves Ban and Ginji mistaking Kazuki for a girl at a distance and trying to peep on him, Juubei and Kazuki cranking up the Ho Yay, and Everythings Better With Monkeys. The other involves Shido proving Madoka has him whipped, Ban and Ginji being very intimidated by the size of Shido's... um... and Everythings Better With Monkeys. Again.
- "Like a horse...!" (Sound of horse neighing)
El Cazador De La Bruja had the main characters visit a hot spring in the middle of a South-American desert. Lampshaded by having the characters actually say that it's common in Japan and then by having one woman go in without a swimsuit on the grounds that that's how they do it in Japan.
The titular ship and setting of Martian Successor Nadesico had a simulated hot spring on board as a sauna area. Naturally, in one episode, local pervert Uribatake and his all-male engineering crew just happen to be searching for a Jovian infiltrator when most of the female cast is using the facilty. The hot springs room gets checked out quite thoroughly.
The cast goes to a Hot Springs or Public Bath together once per season in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. The Fan Service oriented first season had this occur in the anime itself. The later two seasons regulated these episodes to the Sound Stages.
This troper remembers a Hot Spring in an Episode of Voltron (or was it Macross?).
Saber Marionette J had a Hot Springs episode, giving a chance for gay Hanagata to rub up on Otaru wearing nothing but a very small towel.
The third OVA for Blue Seed Beyond was a long contrived Hot Springs episode where the team had to stay in the onsen itself or else a bomb would detonate and kill them all.
Kogoro Mouri's Crowning Moment Of Awesome happens in the Hot Springs episodes (a two-parter) of Detective Conan This time, both the victim *and* the murderer were dear friends of Kogoro, so he goes into a full Its Personal mode and we get to see that with a bit of nudging from Conan (who wanted to solve it at first but was moved by the other's determination, Kogoro *can* solve cases by himself.
Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro has an onsen episode in which Yako does not even get to enjoy the hot springs because one of Neuro's devilish creatures was set loose on the water.
In the creators' commentary for A Miracle Of Science, a Hot Springs Strip was repeatedly referenced, originally in an April Fools joke.

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