Sailor Moon Crystal

Lately it seems that Hollywood has been wiling about in the season of the reboot.  Reboot is just a fancy name for remake and a nicer way of saying "we've run out of ideas".  I was, however, pretty stoked to learn that they were rebooting Sailor Moon.
My first exposure to Sailor Moon was the horribly dubbed version that would play on the USA Network after thousands of Moonies petitioned to have the cancelled series re-run.

I was cancelled???

Despite the horrible voice acting (Looking at you Molly's Jersey accent) the show quickly became one of my favorites and ushered me into the world of anime.
So, how do I feel about Sailor Moon Crystal?  Had I never watched Sailor Moon, I'd probably have thought it was the best thing ever but my stuck-in-1997 brain couldn't stop making comparisons between the two.  Although Crystal is a very faithful adaptation of the manga, the overall tone seems to be darker, almost sad.  And Crystal's Usagi is no longer the overdramatic crybaby I've come to know and love.  I do miss Usagi's constant emotional breakdowns and the exasperation of the other Scouts.  There was a dynamic there that Crystal definitely missed.

Is Usagi crying yet?  No.  We're filming Crystal, remember?

The other thing that sticks out in Crystal is the thinly veiled sexual tension between Usagi and Mamoru.  In the original anime, the relationship between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask is much the same as her relationship with the other Scouts:  one of exasperation.  Tuxedo Mask dutifully saves her, Sailor Swoon gets goosebumps, then goes to bed at night wondering "Who was that masked man?"  During the day, Usagi has to deal with the merciless teasing of the gorgeous, yet douchey, Mamoru. 

The tension between Usagi and Mamoru, whether costumed or not, is almost palpable.  Usagi's crush is pretty obvious, from the beginning, and their interactions during battles are downright steamy.  The romantic undercurrent paired with the dark overtones makes for a pretty grownup version of Sailor Moon.
The good parts?
The animation is beautiful.  Yes, even those CGI transformations.
And I like the little details they put in to update the show and drag it out of the early 90s.
I just wasn't emotionally prepared for Sailor Noir.

Where to watch Sailor Moon Crystal:
Hulu
Crunchyroll (My personal preference.)
Watch Sailor Moon.com