Name: Aru Tabibito no Nikki/The Diary of Tortov Roddle
Type: ONA
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Episodes: 6 x 2-3 mins + 3 specials (Fantasy - 5 x 45secs, The Red Berry - 5 mins, The Apple Incident - 3 mins)
Original Airdate: 2003, 2006 (specials)
Synopsis:
Follow Tortov as he journeys through very surreal, magical, picturesque landscapes, meeting interesting characters and circumstances on the way. Accompanied by his long-legged pig friend, Tortov takes us on an on-going adventure of peaceful contemplation.
Now, personally I think that if the phrase "accompanied by his long-legged pig friend" hasn't sold it to you already then nothing will, but I'll give it a try anyway. If you're anything like me then sometimes when you're watching anime you get the feeling that there's nothing new under the sun, that everything is a repackaged variation of something you've seen before. If you ever find yourself in that mood, that's the perfect time to check out The Diary of Tortov Roddle, because if nothing else, I guarantee you that it'll be a unique experience.
This isn't an anime that you watch for the plot. Tortov encounters many weird and wonderful things on his travels, and they have no other purpose than to be weird and wonderful. There is no deeper meaning, and that's just fine.
The reason to watch this anime is because it is a visual and aural treat. The uniquely charming art style makes watching Aru Tabibito no Nikki like watching a moving watercolour painting. And the soundtrack is easily my favourite thing about the anime. Every now and then it surprises you with something unusual like the sound of steel drums or an accordion, but mostly it consists of gentle piano melodies that brings a magical atmosphere to Tortov Roddle's world.
You'll never be bored, every mini episode is unapologetic in its strangeness. One or two might make you laugh, one is quite sweet, one is a little sad and one is the most bizarrely unsettling thing I've seen in any anime.
Considering you can more or less watch the whole thing in the time it takes to watch one episode of most shows, I can't see any reason why you shouldn't watch it!