Audience reviews
19 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Ronin233
The Traveler's Diary is a series of surreal vignettes chronicling the adventures of Tortov Roddle—a gentleman in a top hat who travels atop a "pig-camel," a bizarre hybrid with the body of a pig and the legs of a camel. Dreamlike in both style and atmosphere, the animation is rendered in soothing aquamarine hues, accompanied by a carefully chosen soundtrack that evokes a gentle sense of melancholy while subtly weaving in Freudian undertones. Given the film's remarkably short runtime, it's easy to recommend setting aside the time to watch it, if only to appreciate its beautiful artwork and wonderfully surreal atmosphere.
Read at the sourcebob-weebington
This show manages to be weird and bizarre without being creepy. It's kind of like a weirder Kino no Tabi. The long pig is unforgettable — most long pigs are unforgettable, you just haven't seen them in any other show. The art style and events definitely trip the psychedelic scale just a bit. It is some very weird but also humorous and entertaining stuff.
The music isn't half bad either. Altogether this is a very short show and likely worth the time to look at just because it doesn't demand a lot of time from you. I watched it all in basically one sitting and came off having enjoyed it.
Read at the sourceFAKEANIMEGIRL
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Originally written: September 11, 2016 7:38 pm EST
A Traveler’s Diary is a short ONA series that chronicles the adventures of the titular character through a mystical, magical, mostly undefined fantasy world. Each episode averages about three minutes, and in each one Tortov is traveling along with his long-legged pig steed when he happens upon some peculiar events or creatures.
The stylized French animation-inspired art along with a suitably appropriate accordion-heavy score help make the washed out green and grey world engrossing along with the surreal, unexplained imagery Tortov comes across. Due to the short length of the episodes, most are without any confidently definable meani…
Read at the sourceSkyBlue1012
A Traveller’s Diary has only six episodes, each with an extremely short runtime so short that it feels like I'm just watching YouTube Shorts.
I would have preferred it to include voice acting and feature stunning background art. Surprisingly, despite being released in 2003, the video quality is quite poor, many anime from the 1990s actually have better resolution and visual clarity.
That said, the background music is surprisingly good. It complements the scenery and atmosphere of each episode very well.
The animation itself is decent.
Overall, this short anime feels like something created by a promising high school student animator, full of potential but not quite there.
Read at the sourceAxlaria
A beautiful short series. Has wonderful animation and the sound track is very calming. This is wonderful series you can watch when you had maybe a bad day, or need some inspiration. This is definitely a beautiful piece of art. This anime really takes the viewer on a journey through a mystical world that leaves you wanting to know more about this place. It feels like a slice of life but in world full magic and strange things that leave even the inhabitants of that world in awe. I definitely recommend other to watch this so they can experience this themselves.
Read at the sourceDISKOWN
Aru Tabibito no Nikki follows Tortov Roddle as he explores an esoteric dreamscape, providing a short and mysterious adventure. The anime showcases remarkable creativity, with unique visuals that immerse viewers in its surreal world. The music accompanying the scenes complements the creativity, enhancing the overall experience. However, some viewers may find its avant-garde approach pretentious, as it delves into abstract themes and imagery. Yet, for those who appreciate its artistic merits, the series offers a captivating exploration of unconventional style and thematic elements. Despite its concise nature, it remains a compelling choice for enthusiasts of experimental animation and introspective storytelling.
Read at the sourceKagami-Jishi77
'Slow-paced vignettes of a dream'
*
It was a random surreal-looking animated series (very short) that I added to my watchlist one day. I think I didn't expect yet it will be such a memorable adventure.
We follow a man named Tortov Roddle on his mysterious journey through many surreal places. Sometimes excerpts from his diary illustrate a journey as an additional commentary. We don't know why he embarked on this journey but it doesn't matter.
Visuals are beautiful and the toned colors are perfect for a dreamlike mood of this story. The dreamlike qualities aren't only reflected in the appearance of all characters and their surroundings but also in the events shown here. It's like in each short episode Tortov experiences some little bizarre piece of life. They can be melancholic, full of a…
Read at the source_keola_
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 sh…
Read at the sourceKrunchyman
“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…
Read at the sourceNugaz
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…
Read at the sourcePo_and_Dong
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 enjoya…
Read at the source2SugoiToActSugoi
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 per…
Read at the sourceGazoinks
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…
Read at the sourceisMusic
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.
Read at the sourceSolemnmind
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 creat…
Read at the sourcestarshinesMonet
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 di…
Read at the sourceMarquis_D_Luffy
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 s…
Read at the sourceneow_neow
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 make…
Read at the sourcemelieon
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…
Read at the source