The original's a favorite of mine...
Maybe this would be the gateway that would suck me into your anime world :)
I like the original too.
It's a really gorgeous anime but weirdly animated. The background art is magnificent, most of the little details are lovely - but the faces are a little flat, and the clothing patterns and hair are just weird. It's a little distracting sometimes.
And I'm only up to episode 3 (21 is broadcast this week and there will be 26 total) so I'm not sure how faithful it is. It's definitely a reimagining, since bits of it are set in space.