When I was in middle school, one big gateway anime was Sailor Moon. This was back in the days of Geocities and Angelfire websites and dial-up internet connections, so streaming and widespread distribution wasn't really an option. Anime was purchased on video tapes (either dub or sub) which had a maximum of four or five episodes on it. Anything animated was still considered "for kids", so shows like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura was pretty heavily edited to make it kid-friendly. And let's not get started on the dubs...
Anyway, the point I'm making is this: I remember when Sailor Moon was first becoming popular in the U.S. When the announcement came out that they were rebooting the series, like many Moonies, I got kind of excited. When it was also announced that the original series was going to get a full release in the U.S., including the final Stars season that had never been released in the U.S., it was like I had died and gone to nerd heaven. So, like other Moonies worldwide, I eagerly counted down to the day of the new Sailor Moon Crystal premiere.
And... well, let me get this out of the way - the reboot was not everything I imagined it would be. The episodes were clearly rushed through production, as several shots are off-model and sometimes even the wrong animation is used for specific attacks. The computer animation used for the transformation sequences is pretty underwhelming compared to the original. The characters don't get a lot of development time, either.
But for all of its flaws, Sailor Moon Crystal did hit a few high points for me.
First of all, we get to see Takeuchi's original character and costume designs in action. The original series put all of the senshi in identical costumes to present a more unified front against evil, and it was probably easier to reuse the same design template for each character and change the colors a little bit. But, each senshi's battle costume represents part of her personality and character, so it was nice to see those touches restored in this version. You also get to see each small evolution of Sailor Moon's battle costume, including the small morphs her tiara undergoes as she comes one step closer to her full awakening.
Not only did they keep more of the original character designs and costumes, but more of Takeuchi's art style seems to have made it into the overall look of the show. The characters are almost ethereal and goddess-like, hinting at their otherworldly origins. The colors are muted and lines tend to be long and flowing. Hair is luxurious and impossibly shiny and orderly (seriously, no one has bedhead). Now, seeing those tall, willowy girls in action, especially seeing Barbie-doll-like Usagi trip and fall on her backside, is a little strange and unnatural, but when they're posing against the full moon, you have to admit that it looks really impressive. And, of course, they are tailor made for the Art Nouveau inspired promotional art.
Finally, we get to see the original Sailor Moon story, almost shot-for-shot, as it was in the manga. No filler, no side-quests, no "gotta find the rainbow crystals and sell more Sailor Moon toys" story arcs. Just a straightforward story of "girl meets magical talking cat, girl becomes superhero, girl saves Tokyo (and possibly the world) and her boyfriend from the forces of evil". Sure, the original story has some flaws, but it struck a chord with readers for a reason and it's great to see it adapted directly.
Overall, I have to say that Sailor Moon Crystal is a flawed gem, but a gem nonetheless. I haven't seen the dvd releases yet, but I would hope that most of the animation flaws were fixed by the time they released them for home viewing. If you were a fan of the manga, you'll definitely enjoy Crystal for its faithfulness to the source material in both plot and art style. However, if you were a fan of the original 90's anime, you probably won't enjoy this series as much because it lacks many of the visual gags and development that the original had. Try to enjoy it for what it is.
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