Seemingly as a celebration of Sailor Moon's 20th anniversary, Sailor Moon Crystal began streaming worldwide in 2014. Produced by Toei Animation, the series was seen as a more accurate approach to the franchise as a whole. Unfortunately, like anything that's revamped, rebooted, or given a sequel, response to the series was heavily divided.

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Most notably, Crystal struggled with its animation in seasons 1 & 2, integrating 3D animation with the traditional 2D animation. Overtime, response to the series has leveled out, with season 3 receiving the highest praise for its story and improved animation. While it certainly has its problems, there are several things Crystal manages to do better than the '90s adaptation.

10 Overall Pacing

Though Crystal was initially criticized for its pacing, it's ultimately one of the show's greatest strengths.  The manga is relatively short - being only 13 volumes - which caused problems for the original adaption. The 90's anime series fell victim to a "monster of the week" format, with the majority of its episodes having very little do with one another.

Crystal kept the manga's original pace, allowing for a viewing experience that wasn't a repetitive nightmare.

9 Staying True to the Source Material

Four Heavenly Kings from Sailor Moon Crystal

The '90s anime took several liberties with its seasons and even changed several characters' backstories. Most notably, the Shitennou, Queen Beryl's henchmen, had their stories completely revamped. In the manga and Crystal, the Shitennou are Prince Endymion's (Mamoru's past life) generals and bodyguards. Each also fell in love with a member of the Inner Senshi.

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Keeping the Shitennou's origins intact greatly enhanced the emotional stakes of the first season, and helped to deepen the lore of Earth's people in the time of the first Silver Millennium.

8 Senshi Powers

In the original anime, each Senshi had an attack that received priority; they sometimes used their older attacks, but not always. Crystal not only shows them retaining their abilities but also gives them more power in the form of unnamed energy attacks, akin to Dragon Ball Z.

The Senshi are warriors at heart, so why wouldn't viewers want to see them at their fullest potential?

7 Uranus and Neptune's Relationship

Sailor Uranus laying opposite sailor Neptune on a bed of Roses. They are gentle caressing each other with their eyes closed. (Sailor Moon)

While the show's iconic lesbian couple did not lose their connection with each other on screen, they were censored in various countries, most notably by making the duo cousins. The final season of the series never even aired in the United States because keeping their relationship platonic was impossible. The '90s anime also depicted Uranus and Neptune as being comfortable with letting the other die if it meant their duty would be completed.

Crystal makes their relationship much deeper. The two are explicitly stated to be dating, and neither expresses a willingness to sacrifice each other for the sake of their mission. In the same breath, they actually don't have as many scenes together in Crystal as they do in the classic anime. This is largely because of the show's pacing, and the fact the new anime included Haruka's romance with Usagi.

6 Sailor Pluto's Arc

sailor pluto

Like Sailor Saturn, Sailor Pluto's position in the Senshi was unique. She was the guardian of time and space, whose duty to preserve both usually kept her away from the battlefield. Her appearance in Crystal mirrored that of the original, but in a greater, more manga accurate capacity. Helping the Inner Senshi, Tuxedo Mask, and Chibiusa travel through time, she ultimately shapes the outcome of the season through her selflessness.

Sailor Pluto's relationship with Chibiusa is also more fleshed out, becoming a  helps to develop both characters more fully.

5 Establishing Sailor Venus as a Leader

The Inner Senshis' original purpose was to protect and bodyguard Princess Serenity, Usagi's past life. Venus took her duty as a guardian seriously, and even acts as a body double for Usagi to help protect her. She was responsible for training the Senshi (through her Sailor V video game) and was shown on multiplying occasions rallying and advising them.

While the '90s anime established Sailor Venus similarly, her more serious side faded over the seasons, becoming more focused on pursuing her dreams of becoming a singer (and also becoming extremely goofy in the process). Crystal allowed Venus to pursue that dream without sacrificing her character, showing that one does not have to neglect their duty when doing what they love.

4 Uranus' Gender Presentation and Identity

Sailor Uranus And Sailor Neptune In Sailor Moon Crystal

Sailor Uranus's civilian identity, Haruka Tenoh, is referred to using both male and female pronouns throughout the series. Neptune states that Uranus is both male and female, in the sense that Uranus embodies the strength of both genders. Uranus isn't explicitly labeled as anything other than being a lesbian, which makes the portrayal of her gender and identity so refreshing.

Queer Identities are not strictly confined by any means, and label definitions can vary from person to person. It's refreshing to see Haruka's personalized sense of expression reflecting that.

3 Fight Scenes

Because the Senshi were depicted with more of their various powers, the fights in Crystal were more flashy and exciting. Though there were frequent usages of stock footage, the amount used was greatly diminished than in the original series.

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It allows the viewer to remember that the Senshi are trained warriors, with some, like Sailor Saturn, even possessing the power to destroy entire galaxies.

2 Outer Senshi Vs. Inner Senshi

Anime sailor-moon-crystal-season-3-episode-9

The Outer and Inner Senshi often have different duties to perform, which put the two at odds with each other on multiple occasions. Namely, the Outer Senshi are supposed to guard our galaxy from intergalactic threats while the Inner Senshi are supposed to protect against internal threats. The Outer Senshi feel as though they've failed in their duty, and don't want the Inner Senshi to have to deal with problems they created.

In the '90s anime, both Uranus and Neptune are openly hostile towards Sailor Moon and the Inner Senshi because they view them as inferior and weak. While their duty still plays a part in their animosity towards the Inner Senshi, it mostly takes a backseat.

1 Usagi's Bisexuality

Haruka Usagi Kiss Sailor Moon Crystal

Though Usagi is in a committed relationship with Mamoru, her romantic attractions weren't limited to him. Usagi openly refers to several women throughout the series as "beautiful," and noticeably blushes every time she meets a new female character. Furthermore, when Uranus kisses her, Usagi does not react negatively, only surprised (even if Uranus was only doing it to distract her). Usagi later fantasizes about kissing Haruka, even after realizing Uranus and Haruka were one.

Usagi's sexuality is explored further in the manga, where she forms a relationship with Sailor Star Fighter that is sure to make it to screens if the upcoming Dead Moon movies perform well enough.

NEXT: Sailor Moon Crystal: 10 Things You Never Knew About The Reboot