Usagi Tsukino is a 14 year old middle school student who despite self-describing as a "crybaby" and "klutz" is a loyal and goodhearted person with strong friendships. After saving a black cat with a moon symbol on her forehead named Luna, Luna eventually reveals she can talk and bestows Usagi with magical powers that give her the powers and appearance as superhero Sailor Moon, which she uses to fight against monsters that prey upon humans and their energy. Usagi is often assisted by the enigmatic Tuxedo Mask and eventually recruits other Sailor Guardians to fight against foes that are magical, extraterrestrial, or interdimensional in nature.
Running from 1992-1997, the Sailor Moon anime based on the manga of the same name by Naoko Takeuchi became a breakout hit in Japan vastly exceeding its intended 6 month run by 5 years and becoming a staple of the anime scene alongside other noted entries like Dragon Ball Z and Saint Seiya. As is the case with many adaptations of shonen or shojo manga, the anime was in production alongside the Sailor Moon manga and due to considerations of budget, episode orders, and etc. The '92 anime often deviated from the Manga to suit its needs. In 2012, Kodansha and Toei Animation announced a new adaptation of Sailor Moon was in production with an intended launch in 2013 to coincide with the 20th anniversary celebrations of the series (which was missed and ultimately released in 2014). The series was initially viewed with mixed reception with some criticizing the pacing and animation errors (which were corrected in later releases) in the first two arcs, Dark Kingdom and Black Moon, but the series did find more positive reception with the adaptation of the Death Busters arc in season 3. I don't think this is a case of Crystal vs. Sailor Moon '92 because they are both two very different shows that tell the same (to a point) stories but with different approaches to tone, character and story structure, so it's really not fair to either show to compare one against the other. With that said, if you did enjoy the '92 Sailor Moon anime then this captures the characters you love while giving you a different experience.
One of the biggest distinguishing characteristics of the original '92 series was in its dilemma/monster of the day approach to its episodes where the show was very much a comedy first and foremost with the comedic situations tying in with some sort of monster/antagonist that would drive Sailor Moon and the other guardians to fight against in their alter egos with the status quo re-established at the end of the episode so the formula could be repeated once again using a different dilemma/monster. In Sailor Moon Crystal, the series is much less formula based and directly adapts storylines from the manga so that the show comes off as more serialized with each episode flowing into the next one and building upon the previous one. While Sailor Moon '92 was and remains an enjoyable show, in the age of Netflix, Hulu, and etc. One can't ignore that the series doesn't exactly lend itself to binge watching with the metanarrative often taking multiple episodes before having any noticeable movement forward and there are numerous episodes you could hypothetically skip altogether and still understand what's going on at key points in the story. SMC feels like it's designed with that in mind as every episode of the show is important and you really can't skip any episodes and expect to get the full impact of the show. While this is allegedly tied to the presentation of the manga (that admittedly I've not read), this could be seen more as an admission of the tastes of modern day audiences who view these shows end to end as driven by a connecting plot thread.
The characters are all still mostly as you remember them from the original series, but there is a sense of more weight and gravity to the storytelling in SMC than in the '92 series. If the '92 series is primarily a comedy with some tokusatsu/sentai elements thrown in, then SMC is a Fantasy/Romance series with some comedy elements thrown in. While Usagi is still a good natured air head who's both exuberant and excitable, the series dials back these elements of her character still keeping them as integral parts of her personality but rarely incorporating the slapstick or artistic distortions that were present in the original series. The show also gives more weight to the initial meetings of the other Sailor Guardians with Ami established as being a quiet isolated introvert and Rei's spiritual powers making her a subject of suspicion and prejudice. While the characters are the same as they were in the '92 show, they are framed in a manner that goes for pathos rather than comedy in their interactions (though comedy does still come through, but naturally in their interactions).
The animation has been a sticking point for people on this show as well. While the animation does sometimes have some errors of unmoving lips of static figures moving in unnatural positions, the show is much more dynamic with its fight scenes with considerably more movement and posing than the '92 series thanks to streamlined animation processes and the budget being less spread out among 40-50 episodes as had been the case with the original. The fight scenes look really good with the Sailor Guardians exhibiting dodges and acrobatics that had previously been mostly absent from the series (per necessity of production) and their special attacks have more definition and freedom rather than relying primarily on animation recycling (though that is still utilized to an extent). Series purists have been critical of the CGI present in the first two seasons, particularly for the transformation sequences. As a fan of this series since the Dic Dub days in syndication, I honestly didn't mind them. While the Sailor Guardian models aren't perfect during the transformation sequences, they look fine all things considered and frankly I've seen worse. Though they do remove most of the CGI elements in the Death Busters arc.
Sailor Moon Crystal revisits the iconic series readapting from the manga and creating a more serialized viewing experience that emphasizes the fantasy/romance elements over the comedic elements from the earlier adaptation. While there's debate to be had on which version is the "best" version, I think there's room for both since their approaches to the material are so different the experience of watching the '92 anime is vastly different from watching SMC. I fell in love with the characters and world all over again thanks to Crystal and I teared up many times here, yes the '92 series had its tearjerker moments too, but their lingering impact didn't often carry past the episodes they happened (and no, this isn't a slight against the '92 series). SMC isn't a replacement for the original series, but more a compliment that takes the same material and looks at it from another angle and I encourage every series fan to watch it for themselves and make their own decision. For me, I loved it.
