General Discussion

I've been really interested in Kirby lore lately and hot dang is it something. As a kid I never saw past the "cute pink thing with powers" aspect of the games and am now fully realizing what that universe holds. It's like a bucket of ice in the face.
I've also heard that Madoka Magica is terrifying. Haven't seen it but I always thought it was just another magical girl anime-

What are other examples of media that surprised you or are a complete 180 of what you see on the surface?

Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) starts out as a classic shonen anime, albeit one with some dark themes. It becomes increasingly darker after the deaths of Nina Tucker and later Maes Hughes and by the end, it's a full-on tragedy about being unable to escape the consequences of past mistakes. I love it so much.

Bugsnax.
Especially in the later part of the game.
I won’t spoil much but them bugsnax’s ain’t so cute/sweet than everyone thinks.
Also one of the characters tries to behead themselves for an experiment and ate a part of themselves so… self-cannibalism.

I've never actually watched it, but there was a period of time in which I thought "Camp Camp" was a kids' show.

I also distinctly remember thinking "Happy Tree Friends" was appropriate for all ages when I was younger, and learning the hard way that it wasn't. Hoo-wee, did I learn the hard way...

@Chaogarden i was also going to say bugsnax. almost exactly like kirby it lures you in with the childish names and cute designs but then hits you with so many interesting and well-developed 3-dimensional characters and the intricacies of their struggling relationships, the inherently flawed nature of people, just getting more in depth and darker until the DLC came out and evolved into this incredibly complex lore about past civiliczations and secret socities

i'd totally reccomend if not playing it yourself, watching a playthrough. it's my favorite game LMAO

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

When I was in fifth grade, I thought I’d grown out of the candy-coated world of ponies. Then my friend gave me one of the IDW comics, and I started watching the show unironically. I was HOOKED. This franchise went from a twee show for little girls to, dare I say, a worldbuilding masterpiece with genuinely helpful lessons and an active fan communities.

Trot on, fellow former bronies and pegasisters.

Gretel and Hansel. I walked into it thinking it'd be a fun little adventure game, but those optional deaths were horrifying.

At least in the first one, if you're good at it enough, you can avoid seeing any deaths. As for the second one... brace yourself. These games aren't for the squeamish.

OOGH, I wholly encourage you to watch Madoka Magica! Without trying to spoil anything, what I enjoy about Madoka Magica is that while the characters go through the ringer, it is not a show that falls completely into despair (unlike Magical Girl Site, which is a similar Japanese media that makes it clear the suffering is the point of this media). I don't find Madoka Magica 'terrifying' though, unless that'd meant to describe the conditions the girls are under

If you liked Madoka Magica, I'd recommend watching the Rebellion movie, too

Doki Doki Literature Club! All I'm going to say is: read the content warnings extensively, and take them 100% at face value.

On a similar vein: Hatoful Boyfriend.

Also, the weirdly dark undertones of Demon Girl Next Door (a cute slice of life yuri manga/anime following the world's weakest demon girl Yuko Yoshida and her mortal nemesis Momo Chiyoda, the retired magical girl who saved the world years ago). A LOT of the stuff implied in the story is really disturbing but not in a "ooh this anime is secretly edgy" way, but in a "oof. this is a bit too real" way. No character is immune to tragic backstory.