>>4390316
The old anime also made the odd decision of aging Mamoru up from the manga's high schooler to a university student, which makes his relationship to the 14-year-old Usagi very awkward. Not that he comes across as a creep, so much as an adult forced by destiny to humor a child. Maybe the initial goal was to keep him more as a distant figure of admiration and focus more on the girls' friendships, but having to keep a character like that around for years probably gets annoying, even if he isn't blocking your ship.
Part of it comes from the manga, but the anime really doesn't make Mamoru very reliable. He's always getting kidnapped, brainwashed, killed or sending his past self orders to break up with Usagi for ill-explained reasons and other things of that nature. Rei, however, is a rock.
I don't think Usagi's sexuality's that simple in the manga either. Her first meeting with Rei, though it fizzles out, is much gayer than the anime's, and she's obviously into Haruka. Then there's lots of smaller stuff. I think she's pretty consistently depicted as bi.
>>4390358
>But as someone who only knows of sailor moon via cultural osmosis, christ that's horrifying
Haven't you ever seen one half of your OTP take a deadly attack for the other? Not seen the girl she protected break down, pleading for her to live because they promised they'd always be together? Not realized there wasn't a scene of them making such a pledge, so it must have happened in a private moment too tender to draw? Not watched the dying girl tell the girl she so clearly loves to keep strong, because she won't be alone, because she has her boyfriend (she doesn't have him; he's a flake who left to study abroad and got himself killed yet again, yet it's he who gets to have her once she's defeated the cosmic horror and resurrected everyone)? Kids these days.
