This story is from Ghibli, so the bar is already high from the beginning. I remind seeing or reading at someplace that Goro intended to do animation for the youngers. That would be his goal with Ghibli. I think he nailed it with Sanzoku no Musume Ronja.
The sound in this is so heart-warming. It looks like someone wants to hug you. It's peaceful and somewhat mystical. It matches the forest and its environment. I loved the opening and especially the ending.
The characters are all full of energy. It maintains a good atmosphere and catches the children's attention. Ronja's father, Mattis, is so over the top. But I think we can buy that since he's the leader of robbers. His wife, Lovis, is what gives the show some balance. She's a strong woman who maintains the order there. One could argue about her role as a housewife, depicting her as responsible for feeding the irresponsible male, being the mother of adults that only do little choirs here and there. I won't go against that since I've got a bit annoyed by it. Although considering the story takes place somewhere in the past and the Japanese are quite conservative, that was how things probably worked. I think we can let it lie.
Moreover, is being a housewife a bad thing by itself, or is it the way it's generally depicted that's bad? I don't intend to finish this discussion, since it's a big one. In the end, this is a review, not a discussion topic, so I'll end that here. Sorry, I got a bit carried away. Anyways she's an admirable figure. As I said before, she's a strong woman with a great sense of responsibility and quite a tough-lover.
Ronja, as her mother, is a strong person. As a little child, she's adorable, and her smile is something else. How could I explain that? It's so sincere, so genuine. It's the kind of smile you only see in young children. It's interesting seeing her growth as the series goes on, her adventures, and her first love. As for Ronja and Birk's relationship, Goro followed Hayao Miyazaki's formula of strong women. She's not the fragile princess in love with the perfect prince. Ronja is equal, and although Birk starts a little more knowledgeable about the world, she fastly keeps up with him, creating a good dynamic.
The big let down about this series is that it got lost towards the end, regarding the plot. It builds a charming story, lots of good things to be developed, but Sanzoku no Musume Ronja hurries and delivers a somewhat makeshift end. It looked like the series had to finish before the planned time.
Finally, I enjoyed this series. I think that's how a story for children must be done. And the fact is that when a good story is made, even if it's targeted for a specific public, most of us would enjoy it. So, go watch without worries, it's a good story.