The popularity of the '70s Heidi anime really can't be underestimated, I think. When I went to Switzerland a few years ago, I had the interesting experience of going to the town of Tirano on the Italian border, by way of the Rhaetian Railway, and seeing a large sign in the train station that proclaimed TIRANO in bold katakana (ティラーノ ). The town seemed to be a jumping-off point for Heidi-themed tours, and on my way back north to Chur I saw that the train I was on had at least one entire second-class carriage reserved for a large party full of Japanese tourists. I briefly considering wandering over to see if any of them would chat with me, so I could find out what part of Graubünden they were heading to -- or if they were going to some other destination, like Zermatt or Grindelwald -- but figured that a random foreigner showing up and speaking Japanese at them would've been a bit off-putting.

At any rate, it wouldn't surprise me if the Ronja anime was going for that same style and flow.