Aru tabibito no nikki (2003) User Reviews

Gentle surrealism

[Rectangular_businessman · 8/10 · 29 February 2024]

A five episode series of shorts by Kunio Kato, director of the award winning short The House of Small Cubes.

Basically, a small series of surreal vignettes from an alternate world, accounting the journeys and experiences from Tortov Roddle, a "traveler from Tortalia" who rides a giant pig with long legs.

Despite its weirdness, the shorts has a rather gentle tone, feeling pretty much like a dream-like slice of life series, featuring a rather beautiful animation style, with each one of the episodes transmiting a gentle, melancholic vibe.

Kinda wish more of these shorts had been produced, leaving me wanting to see more adventures of Tortov Roddle as he explores the strange world where he lives.

Slow-paced vignettes of a dream

[QueenOfDragonland · 10/10 · 6 July 2021]

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 awe, a bit anxious, romantic; funny moments are also here.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for unknown gems of animation (especially Japanese) and anyone who likes surreal stories with the quality of dreams.