Personally, I feel that despite the manga going by quickly, the characters' pesronalities came through more in the manga. They seem almost like parodies of themselves in the anime, not to mention the personalities of Rei and Minako were completely turned topsy-turvy (Minako to the point of being unlikeable). We still get more background info on them in the manga, and the senshi actually defeat monsters on their own without having to rely on Sailor Moon every single time (which was a big gripe with me in the anime; okay, why do they have powers then, if they're not going to be able to really do anything without Sailor Moon?)

Overall, I feel like the manga was a more matured storyline than the anime, which was catered more to younger audiences.

And I think that was a really moving scene for all of us in the anime, but the thing is, movie / animated adaptations tend to evoke more emotion in people because there's an atmosphere of sound and music that connects us more to the moment and characters.