It was 1995 when Sailor Moon first aired on American television. The show became an incredible success. In fact, it was one of the first anime to become a major hit in America. Sailor Moon helped pave the way for future successes. Anime like Bleach and Naruto would go on to become fairly popular outside Japan.
In 2014, a new version of Sailor Moon premiered in Japan. Sailor Moon Crystal would be slightly different from the show that aired in the mid-90s. Some of the changes Crystal made were good though some were unpopular. Many fans had mixed feelings for Crystal. Though Sailor Moon has continued to be popular both inside its home country and out.
9 Ruined: Nostalgic Theme
When Sailor Moon first debuted in the 90s, it was popular to try to Americanize the show as much as possible. That included an American theme song. While many modern anime choose to keep the original Japanese opening, Sailor Moon was released before that was popular.
Many fans didn't like the theme of Sailor Moon Crystal. The new opening for Crystal includes some beautiful moments of animation and the English version retains the original Japanese opening. Still, many fans feel like the opening lacks the beauty of the original opening.
8 Fixed: Reverting to the Original Names
One of the changes that came with the American version was to give the characters more American sounding names. Motoki's name was changed to Andrew, Naru's name was changed to Molly, and Gurio's name was changed to Melvin.
Sailor Moon Crystal choose to retain the original Japanese names of the characters. Serena, Amy, Ray, Lita, and Mina were changed back to Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako. While some fans will find the name changes confusing, many fans praised Crystal for keeping more of its Japanese origins.
7 Ruined: Voice Acting
People who grew up watching Sailor Moon in the 90s are going to be familiar with the voices of all their favorite characters. Even though Usagi and Naru's voices have been described as annoying, fans still carry a nostalgic love for that original sound.
Naru's original Japanese voice actress was famous for her distinctive sounding voice. In a nod to that fact, the English voice actress delivered her lines in an equally distinctive voice. Those voices are all changed in Sailor Moon Crystal and the change did not sit well with the fandom.
6 Fixed: Better Animation
The animation of both shows is visually stunning. The original was full of pastel colors and beautiful scenes. There is something girlish and charming about the animation style of the 90s Sailor Moon series.
Crystal uses modern techniques to provide an updated look. The new visuals are amazing. Many scenes feature backgrounds done in a watercolor-style, still maintaining the girlish charm of the original. This combined with the updated computer graphics maintains the feel of the original while giving more fluid movements.
5 Fixed: Better Organized
Many fans have a negative view of filler, viewing the unnecessary fluff as something that distracts from the true story. The original Sailor Moon was full of filler. A few volumes of manga were stretched out into entire seasons.
To stretch the runtime of the show, a lot of things had to be inserted into the show. Sometimes these things didn't even make sense. There were many inconsistencies that formed in the show as a result of the effort to add to its runtime.
Without the filler, the show has a more organized plot. The original Sailor Moon anime had some inconsistencies with the characters and storyline. Rei was sometimes completely unlikable and would sometimes get angry at Usagi for seemingly no reason. Minako seemed to have no consistency. The Sailor V subplot was hardly acknowledged in the original anime. Crystal fixes all of the issues by following a standard plot instead of the monster of the week formula the original had.
4 Fixed: Uranus And Neptune's Relationship
Since the Sailor Moon anime was introduced in America as a children's show, there were some edits that had to be made. Lines had to be changed, episodes had to go unreleased, and a certain relationship had to be completely changed.
One of the biggest complaints from fans has been the change made to Uranus and Neptune's relationship. The original changed the two from lovers to cousins. This change made their actions take on a level of creepiness. The unease fans felt about their relationship was erased when their original relationship was reinstated by Sailor Moon Crystal.
3 Fixed: Usagi And Mamoru
At the heart of Sailor Moon lies the romance between the two main characters. Usagi and Mamoru are each other's one true love. They had been together for two lifetimes. Still, their relationship had some odd moments in the original anime.
Mamoru treated Usagi somewhat horribly, always making fun of her when they encountered each other. He had a maturity that Usagi always seemed to lack. The better plotted Sailor Moon Crystal fixes a lot of the problems their relationship had in the original anime.
2 Ruined: Character Development
The stretched out story of the original anime allowed for certain character development that Crystal lacks. There were episodes of the original series that focused on the Usagi's fellow Sailor Scouts.
Enemies were given a chance to have backstories and drawn out storylines in the original. Fans were given a chance to get to know the people the scout's were fighting against. Crystal simply focuses on Usagi. While the Sailor Scouts are given a chance to have more consistent behavior, they were robbed of their chances of shining.
1 Fixed: Follows The Manga
Sailor Moon may be remembered fondly by fans, but the show doesn't follow the manga very well. The filler often forces the show to deviate from the original storyline, which leads to continuity errors.
Sailor Moon Crystal aims to more strictly follow the manga. The newer anime has done a much better job of adapting the manga's story to the screen. While Crystal doesn't do a perfect job of exactly following the manga, it does a better job than the original.