Aru Tabibito no Nikki

Oh my, what and incredible work of art we have here.

Diary of Tortov Roddle is really something unique, I enjoyed it very much.
It's like watching a moving panting, like running through a museum while beautiful music is being played all over the place.

It really doesn't has a plot, It's just Tortov Roddle traveling and showing us places. But oh, what kind of places.
They are so magical, with a great amount of surrealism, artistic, unique.
It leaves you wanting more. Always wanting to know what other kind of places he will visit. Places just beyond our imagination.

The art is really simple, original,different. That's what makes it so beautiful. For me is perfect.
You feel like you're watching a painter working. And you're transported into the painting.

The music is so relaxing, perfect for this piece of art. And is a well a piece of art. A great job of Kenji Kondo.
I can almost imagine the instruments coming into scene while watching this.
And I wouldn't be surprised if that happened ^^.

The characters well let's see... have you ever seen a pig with legs thinner than a horse's?. Here you can see it. And you will love it.
Tortov reminded me a little of Don Quijote. Thin and tall, using a hat too.
(Maybe the pig is Rocinante.)
And the things that Tortov writes on his diary gives us a more magical and pretty perspective. I love how he sees everything.

I almost forgot about the bunny men! They are awesome.
There's the lady of the flower hat too.
And a big bear who proyects cartoons on his back ^^.

I highly recommend this. I know it's not popular, but only people who are imaginative and can open their minds to appreciate different and beautiful things and don't call everything new ''weird'' can really enjoy this.
And if you're not one of those persons, try to see it anyways, it's worth it.

The best way of watching this?. Relaxing drinking a cup of tea :]

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Legitimately one of my favorite anime, although really not for everyone.

The Diary of Tortov Roddle is a series of wonderful, beautiful, surreal, wordless (aside from text from Tortov's diary) shorts, starring the traveler Tortov Roddle and his strange long-legged pig mount and companion. There's not really a story to speak of; the series is essentially a series of short vignettes. Tortov goes somewhere, experiences something odd, and then moves on.

What somethings they are, though. The series is surreal, but unlike most uses of surrealism, it's not really symbolic. The surrealism doesn't represent the mind of a character, or the author's opinion of the Vietnam War, it's simply a weird, wondrous world that Tortov is exploring. The series has a very Japanese focus on fleeting moments. The events Tortov encounters aren't big, they're things like a fish jumping out of his coffee cup in a cafe, or watching a cartoon projected on the back of a bear, and once Tortov moves on, they're not mentioned again. This sense of transience, along with the quiet, contemplative nature of the series gives everything a slight feel of melancholy that adds a bit of weight to the wonder.

The art is gorgeous, and perfectly suits the series. It really doesn't look like your average anime, instead going for a painterly story book look that's really nice to look at, and suits the dream-like nature of the show. The use of color is also very well done, there's a lot of unified color palettes in the episodes to give things certain atmospheres. It really does feel like a moving story book at times.

The music is very nice. It has a kind of French feel, with liberal use of accordion. It's suitably whimsical, and again slightly sad. It doesn't feel particularly prominent, but it's not really meant to.

If you don't appreciate an effectively storyless series, or this sort of simplistic wonder, you probably won't like Tortov Roddle. If you do though, you'll probably find it wonderful.

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Aru Tabibito no Nikki translates into "A Traveler's Diary." That is exactly what it is, and that is exactly what you should expect. Aru Tabibito no Nikki is the diary of a man named Tortov Roddle. His diary is beautifully simplistic; he writes about what he sees and what he's doing. He writes about what is on his mind.

There is no exaggeration. There are no women with massive breasts, there are no chibi scenes or outrageous expressions. This sentence explains exactly what this short is: "Accompanied by his long-legged pig friend, Tortov takes us on an on-going adventure of peaceful contemplation."

And what a beautiful process that is. It doesn't take hours; it only takes a quarter of an hour to accomplish what many, many anime cannot.

This anime is storyless, and yet it isn't. What person's life can really be called an action-packed story? Life is not always interesting. The best parts of life include silence, contemplation, and mental exploration. But, then again, Tortov's story isn't uninteresting in the slightest. It's surreal. It's the picture of an unusual, creative world with flashes into the mind of a fairly normal, thoughtful, and almost melancholic man. In these moments, he is perfectly real - sometimes expressionless, sometimes excited, sometimes surprised, sometimes vulnerable, sometimes not.

This atmospheric experience is, in a way, mellowed by an eccentric, beautiful art style and a slightly depressing array of gentle music. Nothing is pushed in your face. Everything is softened and warmed for you, but the story does not become dull. It's as though you are a child being spoon-fed these wonderful, calm musings. None of it dribbles down your lips and chin. All of it is just calmly swallowed, but never really completely digested. And I mean that in the best possible sense.

Aru Tabibito no Nikki can only be described as an artistic masterpiece, with pressure on "artistic." Art is subjective; this is the king of subjectivity. How much you enjoy it depends on your current walk in life. How much you enjoy it depends on your mindset, on what you're looking for. Just like a friend who helps you along one day; another day, maybe you're walking down different paths, and that's okay. For me, Aru Tabibito no Nikki came at a time where I needed to be soothed, inspired, and impacted. All of this, it can achieve.

So do not just pick this anime up just for the heck of it. Pick it up because you're looking for something more. Pick it up because you're at a stand-still in your life. Pick it up because you just need to relax and feel your sanity again. Pick it up with the right mindset.

"What mindset is that?" is a question that only you can answer, perhaps even subconsciously.

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“Wonderfully strange.” — Krunchyman

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about The Diary of Tortov Roddle feels quite exceptional. In the eye of an impartial observer, the six stories may seem a bit disjointed, with no obvious through line or extensive exploration into the character’s psyche. Be that as it may, it would seem that The Diary of Tortov Roddle was not meant to be understood through the narrow prism of human logic, but, more or less, experienced via innate emotions. A placid, visceral viewing experience if there ever was one.

The surrealistic approach, along with the imaginative artwork, gives the impression that the director breathed life into an oil painting. The aesthetic — unadorned, yet bizarre —compliments the critical events quite nicely, imparting a useful “essence” into each story. Furthermore, the use of natural sounds, like the wind blowing in The City of Light or the fire crackling in Moonlight Travelers, feel palpable, as if it were emanating through the screen itself. These noises serve a useful function to enable the viewer to “connect” with the anime on a personal level, allowing the events, like the community gathering or the reminiscing about a past love, feel more impactful.

Simply put: it’s a pleasant viewing experience.

It harkens to a transient, spontaneous existence, in which exhilarating moments happen fortuitously in a most unexpected manner. We observe, we react, and then we move on — similar to Tortov — to our subsequent eye-opening journey. It may be aimless, it may seem futile, and it may feel positively chaotic; nevertheless, if we maintain an open-mind, we may enjoy ourselves on this haphazard adventure called life, and possibly learn something new along the way.


8/10 — Enjoyment (the rating I used for this review)

6/10 — Overall (the rating I use for my own personal list)

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A common misconception about animated shorts states that they, bathing in creativity or not, never reach the same heights of storytelling as full-length features. While it's true that there's little room left for plot devices and character development if you happen to have a running time that doesn't even surpass half an hour, I still find this notion absolutely ridiculous. Rather than observing a short film and condemn it based on the lack of things you'd find in a movie, I've always been under the belief that the approach itself needs to be changed in accordance to the running time. Hopefully, viewers who happen to come across the subject of these pointless scribbles will have their perception of animated shorts changed forever in the beautiful, mesmerizing and absolutely pointless creation that goes under the name: The Diary of Tortov Riddle.


Now, visually speaking this little eccentricity plays out exactly like one would expect the incestuous offspring of Tim Burton and Cat Soup to do; character designs tend to be tall and slim; the color palette is muted to the extreme and there are enough semi-artsy oddities to give Yoji Kuji a heart attack. Story-wise though, the atmosphere seems a lot more inspired by Kino's Journey as the protagonist of the film, Tortov Riddle, travels on a pig with extraordinarily long legs, facing various encounters with other creatures as well as experiencing various strange things. His travels are documented in his diary which is shown at certain points, usually at the end of each story. Unlike Kino’s Journey though there are no fables or general lessons in moral to be found. Tortov is merely a lonely traveler whose motivations are never revealed and who seems to treasure his bizarre encounters more than anything else.

All in all there are six stories that together create a running time of approximately 18 minutes. These minutes are well spent on beautifully surreal artwork that depicts everything from Tortov's encounter with a mysterious woman to a town hosting a cinema party by projecting an animated movie on the back of a peculiar bear-hybrid thingy. Keep in mind that few of the stories have actual conclusions and there is no continuity to find whatsoever. The best way to enjoy it is to take in the beautiful but simplistic visuals as well as the equally harmonic soundtrack that relies on everything from pianos to more unusual instruments to establish a dreamlike feeling few other movies manage to invoke.


The world of animated shorts suffers from an over-representation from the admittedly masterful Makoto Shinkai whose Voices of a Distant Star continues to rightfully mesmerize. However, in recent years it's become quite apparent that there are other creators out there producing shorts that reach an almost similar kind of quality. The Diary of Tortov Riddle was directed by Kunio Katou who later went on to create the Oscar-winning La Maison en Petits Cubet which I also recommend. However, inside the realm of anime shorts, that I have explored somewhat thoroughly, Tortov Riddle stands out as one of the better creations I've seen. It's able to invoke a strange feeling of an almost childlike wonder that makes you absolutely content just witnessing the peculiarities the film exhibits rather than questioning them. Sleep is never an easy thing for me, but after I finished watching this for the second time I fell asleep almost immediately and although I can't remember any of my dreams I'm sure they were quite pleasant acid trips from the fascinating and beautiful world of Tortaria.

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The Diary of Tortov Roddle shows us in a somewhat unique way. The story starts where Tortov Roddle, the main character and somewhat the narrator, introduces himself and tells us a bit about his journey.

During his journey, he encounters a lot of fantasized things, such as frogs, a fish, a bear, a pig, rabbits, etc. (I will not say specifically how they are related to fantasy since that would spoil the whole thing). He always guides us in his point of view and in a journal way. So, it is not hard for us to understand this story.

In my perspective, I really love the storyline, but I think they could have made more episodes or such. The character, with Tortov Roddle, is enough already and is perfectly fine. I really love the artwork. They also produced La Maison en Petits Cubes, which makes this ONA popular.

I guarantee that this anime will really grab your attention and you will enjoy the way the story is shown.

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Tortov Roddle summed up in one word is "phantasmagorical."

I just wanted to use that word. ^^;

When I first started watching Tortov Roddle, I wasn't sure I was even watching a product of Japan. Tortov Roddle shares the name anime only in the sense that it wass animated in Japan, and the concept is from Japan. And though you could draw similarities from the latter, the former is difficult to see. Watching, I felt as though I was looking at a French arts short film. And that is what Tortov Roddle is, a series of artistic shorts, pushing surreal boundaries and supplanting reality for fantasy.

The series immediately left me intrigued. The character of Tortov is charming, and the whimsy and wonder reminded me of Miyazaki. The animation was simplistic, and yet incredibly detailed. By far it stood out from any other Japanese animation I've seen, or, to be fair, any animation I've seen. It is in a class of it's own. The soundtrack was delicate. Each noise, each shuffle, was carefully placed such that they carried utmost importance, and yet you could recognize them as anything more than simply noise associated with action. There are no spoken words in Tortov Roddle, only music, and perhaps laughter. The entire feel and flow of this series was determined by the music, powerful, pristine and overwhelming. Tortov himself was uncanny, and his companion bizarre.

So what can I really say about Tortov Roddle. It's a series of shorts. I watched 7 episodes, though this site would have you believe that it ends at 6 (which is a shame because the 7th was by far my favourite). If you're looking for a short series you can watch by yourself to pass time, I would strongly recommend Tortov Roddle. However there is most certainly a mood requirement to truly appreciate this series. Save it for a rainy day, curled up in a warm blanket with a hot cup of cocoa . You won't regret it.

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As it has been expressed by my peers, the art alone is reason to watch. It really is like watching old Canadian or European cartoons - particularly, for me, The Man Who Planted Trees (which is one of my favourites). I love watercolours, personally, so this art style spoke to me immediately, because the textures and hues are those of a watercolour painting. As Tehnominator states "the grainy look makes the images seem aged... like in a story book from one's childhood" or in my case, a painting.

This could also be due to the wonderful implementation of frames to tell a story, like in the black and white motion pictures of the early 1900's. The music and sounds all fit the images and art directions perfectly. They are whimsical and imaginative, as though every day (every story) were a new discovery! In watching, we become children again - excited to visit the moon, or build a a shining fortress made a sand from some distant star!

Some of my favourite things about the art style:
I love the subtlety of movement. It is sometimes so slight that it is barely noticeable at all.

I also love that the backgrounds remind me of surrealism in their abstract qualities. Trees, for example (or at least what appear to possibly be trees, having a somewhat tree-like shape), resemble something more from a Dr. Seuss book rather than in anime. And in a way, this makes it even more like an anime, because the animation is both so futuristic, while remaining traditional and using techniques from the past.

The creatures, which are unique in and of themselves, as well as Tortov's imagination are what really make the shorts an interesting experience. You never quite know where you will end up or with who/what.

The storylines are very short (each is less than five minutes) and very simple. The way the language changes really makes an impact on the feel of the impact. I say this because sometimes the language Tortov uses is the same as a child would use to phrase a sentence (ex. "My name is Tortov Roddle. When I have a bad dream, I want to forget it as soon as possible.") and other times it is very detached, like that of a true explorer or scientist - one who observes more than they feel. And the art has a wonderful and specific way of explaining or illustrating (no pun intended) this to make a real story from the sentences we are introduced to (the sentences being characters themselves). This can be both simple and funny, while other times it is more transient and abstract.

I will agree with the consensus that there are times I wish the storylines had given us even more depth and let us get to know these worlds a bit more, because while I love a good short, I love a rich world of possibility and flavour that I get to know slowly even more. I have this same idealistic complaint with travel journals - even my own. I want a puppet show as much as I want an exploration. This anime, however, is like sitting in a European bookshop or cafe and just contemplating one's most random thoughts and the places you've been without a worry of what it all means or where it goes. It is a meandering river, but without a real finale.

While not a great deal happens in terms of plot or character development in itself, there is a rich world to explore and more is happening before us than the stories narrate. For those who have enjoyed Mushishi, I think this anime and all other by Kunio Kato are perfect for you. It is, quite literally, as though one were taking you on a journey through their own private travel journal where the art says more than what is said in the writing.

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Aru Tabibito no Nikki ( the story of Tartov Roddle ) is 6 short episodes, a 16-minute masterpiece. A travelers journey set in 6 short experiences. // not for everyone, this show is something you will either love or not really care for //

on to the review -

Story: 8/10

The story is the one place where people typically say it flakes, there is no overall story but after seeing each scene you can get a sense of his life. A lone man and his long-legged pig travel, you are watching the various things he experiences.

Art: 10/10

I am a sucker for the artsy-fartsy stuff. This chalky and mellow feeling you can get from this style and the colors is enough for you to try watching it alone, it is entertaining to watch if you simply look and focus on the art. When I was watching the art as the show unfolds it feels like this is how Tartov sees the world, his emotions depicting the soothing colors.

Sound: 10/10

I rarely come across a show with such a peaceful and beautiful soundtrack, the music is engaging and fun to listen to. It fits each scene and I would honestly listen to it when I am reading manga or playing video games. It is at times melancholy and dreary and at times upbeat and fun.

Character: 9/10

There is no dialogue in this show but I still felt that I could see what type of person Tartov is from how he reacts and what he does. Which I found quite enjoyable.

Enjoyment: 9.5/10

Overall: 9.5 / 10

The only thing I think this show could have done to make it a perfect 10/10 would be if there was more of a resolution, I was happy with the final episode or scene but I felt it could have been more of a conclusion.

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Thought provoking, melancholic, imaginative, quiet, strange yet so beautiful and calm. I like to see myself just exactly like that. A very artistic short series that leaves you wanting more. Soothing and relaxing music that forces you to clear up your mind. A beautiful masterpiece.

A series of anime shorts by Robot/Oh! Productions who have also produced some similar, unrelated shorts. This series has 6 episodes that are all no more than 3 minutes. It is basically a very short quaint, episodic story with no plot whatsoever and no overarching story. The shorts usually place Tortov Riddle travelling to some location with his gigantic camel pig, and doing or seeing something for a few minutes. The art style is fantastic, a picturesque, surreal, somewhat French inspired look that fits the tone of the short perfectly. It makes every short enjoyable and is basically the most unique part about the series. The music is also quite nice, use of the accordian, piano, and violin. Goes well with the art style and the tone the shorts are setting, making the actual watch more enjoyable. The stories don't have alot of symbolic meaning, although there could be something I missed. But I think they are just meant to be rainy day stories and not supposed to be overthought, if anything it was a style experiment. All of shorts are worth a watch at some point, you can torrent the whole thing for like 300mb.

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In my "career" as a critical bastard, i have inevitably encountered many art and even art-forms whose purpose are either personal exercise or provocative propaganda, and just like a completed checklist none enriches that feeling more than surrealism. The shear paradoxical venture of one's rationalization (or attempt rather) of the hidden self, the subconscious, is both cause of celebration and awe, though it is expected the difficult individual analysis of such works. This one made me think.

A skinny-legged tall pig, ridden by a tall hat wearer across a barren landscape of trees with thin long trunks, not unlike tied balloons, draw a clear parallel of the movement's most salient artist, even if the style isn't limited by it. It's refreshing for Japanese animation but more of the like from Kunio Kato. Beautiful nonetheless.

It is unquestionable that each episode present an almost childlike sense of wonder, through the characters quirky personalities which seem evident even without any dialogue.

My biggest dismay came not for some drop in quality but rather the opposite: no episode managed to move me of compel me more than i believe they should, until my indubitably favorite sequence, 'the melancholy rain'. I can't understate my pleasure to witness a work of surreal quality that whom i could dismantle a form a reality out of. One which now i take as my own.

Much like the titular emotion my pleasure and soon-found excitement felt bitter sweet because no other second of the short made my emotions continue, and boy what a shame that is.

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