Ronja the Robber's Daughter

Well, this was good! I was initially worried about the CGI-animation of the characters, but got used to it pretty quickly. It is very nicely done and gets you thinking about Zelda: The Wind Waker's art. Even if I still would have prefered a traditionally animated interpretation of the story, I don't think this is something that should stop people from giving this series a fair chance. And the background paintings is extremely good looking, it truly is a feast for the eyes to see swedish nature depicted in this way! With as much as 26 episodes the series gets a long time to adapt thebook in a fair way, which it does from beginning to end, with some extra fluff that doesn't take away anything from the experience. If you would compare it to the old swedish movie from the 80's, this is definitely the more true to the book. This is because all the relations, events and characters gets the time they deserve to be built up properly. In the movie they basically just piled up all the key scenes as tightly packed as possible, without giving any emotional connection to anything. This is where Sanzoku no Musume Ronja succeeds splendidly. However, something they did not succeed in was that special feeling of norse fairy tale creatures. The interpretation of the rumphobs (rumpnissar) is pretty awful, both personality-wise and appaerance-wise. The wild harpies (vildvittror) maybe would have worked in a more detailed 2D-animated style, but now they look too flat and cheap. A good equivalent to their classic catchphrase, "Nu ska blodet rinna!" (literally: "now the blood shall flow") is also missing. The gray dwarves (grådvärgar) and the unearthly ones (de underjoriska) were okay though. Something that the series managed, that neither the old movie nor the book did, was to give all the robbers in Matt's Fort their own distinct personalites. I greatly appreciated this. And also, the interpretation of Skalle-Per was terrific. Besides some dumb mistakes, like the fact that they pick blueberries and raspberries in spring (they don't become ripe until late summer), the swedish nature is depicted well. Sometimes the tempo maybe was too slow, but this helped more than becoming a hindrance. The thing I missed most from the movie was all the beautiful accapella harmony songs. This is most definitely the best work of Goro Miyazaki so far. But then he also got really good source material from the great Astrid Lindgren! A fantastic story that always is relevant to people in all ages. Strongly recommended to everyone, give it a fair chance!

Astrid Lindgrens story really comes to life in this anime, which is a great adaptation and manages to make fans of the book feel right at home while still managing to excite them. If you enjoyed the book you owe it to yourself to watch this anime, it does the source material justice, and it will make you feel like a little kid again. There is so much ejoyment to be had in this anime wether you've read the book or not. The characters are great, there are moments of joy, moments of sadness, and everything in between. If you want to watch a good and heartwarming animeSanzoku no Musume Ronja is a great option. You won't regret it.

I'm not even surprised how not that many people have watched this Ghibli's TV series. I'll just say objectively the good and the bad aspects I found and try to explain why this has happened. (+) Let's see... The nice thing may be that the characters are goodies, the ambientation is positive... that you may actually cry if you're sensitive enough. It's okay for a relatively young kid that doesn't have anything to watch at the time. And, of course, because this is an adaptation from Pippi Longstocking's Swedish author: Astrid Lingdren. (+) The characters design were okay, I liked them and reminded me of Ghibli's.Some music was nice like the 'Wolf's song'. (-) Well, I noticed from the start that its pace is way too slow even for a 26-episode TV series. It doesn't offer anything exciting until episode 6 more or less. But then again, it slows down again. I'm not saying this is like a rollercoaster plot, because it isn't anything like that. It's just a dead plain straight line from a cardiograph that somewhat increases its pulse a little bit from time to time. Maybe a shorter tv series would have been more delighting. (-) The 3D tech wasn't still great at the time. Even today is still hard to accept it apart from some few exceptions. The modelling in characters, such as baby Ronja has exactly the same body model as baby Mattis (her father, if you already forgot). The hair looks weird, etc. I liked Lovis characterization, by the way. She's like Pippi being a strong mum but still I needed her to get on a horse. So why not many people have seen this? This didn't get that much advertisement, it wasn't directed by Miyazaki the father but his son and maybe because, as I said earlier, is too long. Ghibli is best for film and short tv series (I know that Miyazaki has done tv series in the past, but the rest of the studio isn't accustomed to do that and his son is not that good, sorry). And, the most important thing was, that some friend of mine that is a real Ghibli fan had to drop out this in the first chapter... It didn't appeal to him at all and I guess I was chill enough to be able to watch it till the end. I found out there's actually a live-action movie adaptation for Ronja so find out about that and enjoy it. I think it's slightly better.

For starters, I believe that if you can get through the first few episodes, the series is one of the best that you can watch. It's similar to a novel, where the change is slow, but compelling. Once through the little parts, it becomes fantastic. So as I go into the full review, be aware that I'm writing this a few months after finishing it. Story (9) - The problem with the story is that it's slow. That is the main problem, it's slow to start and tend to drag along. I believe it would have been best asa shorter series, compacting the first five episodes into two or three. Similarly to Kemono no Souja Erin, for those who've seen it, it's a slow start but a great experience when you're into it. So my words of advice, push through the first few episodes and you'll have a good time. Art (6) - My problem here, and which is why I deducted some points, is that I'm not a fan of CGI. I feel like the series would have been much better if it were done with 2d animation, or at least a mix of the two. CGI is something that is a niche within anime, as I'm sure you know, and for people who watched this just for ghibli, won't like it much. The CGI does get better later on, but all-in-all it's one of the things you have to put up with to start, and know it gets better further in. Sound (10) - The soundtrack is something I really love within Goro's works, he's able to convey a large part of the story through music, which is something hard to master. The soundtrack is beautiful, and as is the same with the voice actors, at least in the Japanese version. The music is one of the best parts of the series, so that is a definite plus. Character (10) - The characters are definitely what put this series so high up. Even the people that you're supposed to hate are endearing and you can't help but care for them. Even the minor characters have great stories to them. And if the minor characters are like this, try to imagine the main characters. Ronja is one of the most endearing characters that I've seen in a long time. The thing that is able to differentiate her from other Ghibli heroines is how much of a complex character she is. She's not some girl who has special powers, she is just a girl that loves and fights for what she believes in. Enjoyment (8) - I think this would have been higher if the first few episodes were easier to get through. The rest of the series is fine, just the first five episodes drag on. For a lot of people, they will have dropped the anime before they're able to get to the meat of the story because of those first few episodes. Overall, it's a pretty enjoyable anime, though. It's very relaxing but compelling at the same time as well. One can't help but think about it even after the anime has ended. Overall (9) - Like all longer anime, it has it's high and low points. I think this is one of Goro's best works from Ghibli, so if you have the time and willpower, I definitely recommend this anime. You won't be let down. Extra - If you enjoyed this anime, I would really recommend Kemono no Souja Erin, likewise as well.