Pokémon Sun and Moon anime is plenty goofy, but its English trailer suggests otherwise

The cartoon adaptation of Pokémon Sun and Moon premiered in Japan Thursday morning, just in time for the games’ Nov. 18 launch. Early fan reactions on Twitter suggest that, despite some controversy surrounding its new art style, the anime is an lighthearted comedy whose tone fits its setting.

The Pokémon Company’s U.K. outpost sees it differently, based on the first English-language trailer for the Sun and Moon series. In English, Ash and Pikachu’s adventure in the Alola region sure sounds ... melodramatic. Watch that above to see what we mean.

The animation still conveys that there’s something different about this animated adaptation from previous Pokémon cartoons. Ash has a more fluid and youthful look, and Alola is primarily filled with bright colors. That’s the power of editing for you, though — and whoever edited the trailer for British and English-speaking audiences seems to think that Pokémon fans prefer their anime to be as serious as possible.

Sight unseen, we can’t say for sure whether the tone of the dub will match the trailer. We doubt that international versions will exclude sights like Professor Oak’s cousin, Samson, pulling this face:

Or that we’ll get less of Ash looking like a goof. He’s so expressive in Sun and Moon!:

We’re also excited for the on-screen debut of Lillie, assistant to Pokémon Professor Kukui, since she drove much of the strong narrative of the games. Even she isn’t exempt from the silly faces:

There’s no air date quite yet for Sun and Moon in the West, although it’s in previews in the U.K. this weekend. Watch the catchy, sunny opening below as you prep for both the anime’s premiere and the games themselves.