I do find it interesting that while the 90’s anime is frequently touted as having a more “male perspective” ( due to it’s toning down of the Miracle Romance and overly Shojo tone/elements, more fanservice etc) and is the version that has the most straight male fans it’s also simultaneously the version that seemed to be equally trying to appeal to the straight female gaze. Keep in mind, the 90’s anime was the one that invented all the gay/bi male characters and couples, when in the manga they were likely all straight and there was barely a hint of BL/Yaoi subtext. So it appears to me that despite the claims that the Manga (and Crystal by extension) is more “female-friendly” and lacks the unnecessary male pandering fanservice like the panty shots, it also lacks that “manservice” that helps attract the Fujoshi audience. (One could make the argument Mamoru himself is the manga’s own form of “manservice” seeing as how he’s written in the image of Naoko’s ideal man but I digress)
So I would say that the 90’s anime attempted to court both genders equally and one isn’t necessarily favored over the other. Heck, even the Manga has it’s own male-appealing elements such as few relevant male characters, (perfect for the harem fans to treat Mamoru as their own self-insert) yuri & het ships galore but no yaoi, and much more intense DBZ level power-level grinding/upgrades than the 90’s anime ever got. Even it’s darker tone and the Stars arc being the Proto-Madoka in a lot of ways would appeal more to the average male anime fan who doesn’t care so much for the “regular, positive Mahou Shojo” and only likes grimdark, subversive, deconstructive Mahou Shojo.