Random Deceiving Anime That Prove You Shouldn't Judge A Book By Its Cover (15 items)

(#5) Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni is another seemingly cheery anime about adorable high school girls being adorable - and if you look at some of the episodes, like the obligatory beach episode, it does seem to be that. If you didn't know it already, this show is one of the bloodiest shows in anime history. The true focus of this show is not cute girls doing cute things - it's Hinamizawa Syndrome, a psychiatric condition that impacts everyone in the village of Hinamizawa that causes a plethora of symptoms, the most noteworthy being a murderous rage.
(#12) Mysterious Girlfriend X

Mysterious Girlfriend X is an anime that a lot of people write off because its utterly bizarre premise - a couple falls in love after the boy tastes the girl's drool. This sounds like the kind of anime that gives people who don't like anime an excuse to dismiss the medium entirely - but actually, it's surprisingly good. The characters don't behave like any archetype that can be found in anime - there are no tsunderes, no yanderes, no harem leads, no nothing. Both leads just act like actual human people - weird, yes, but no weirder than what can be found in reality.

This anime is shocking not because of excessive violence or horror, but because it sets you up for something sketchy and bizarre, but instead gives you something heartfelt and genuine.
(#9) Magical Girl Raising Project
- Action, Fantasy, Drama
Magical Girl Raising Project is similar to Puella Magi Madoka Magica in that it takes the sweet and bubbly magical girl concept and turns it seriously dark. Koyuki Himekawa is a gamer who gets the opportunity to become a real magical girl in the virtual reality game that she plays during her spare time. What starts off as a fun and innocent game quickly becomes a battle royale with real-world consequences - those who are eliminated from the game meet gruesome ends in real life.

It's not surprising that the battle turns out to have real-world consequences - that much is clear from the summary. However, the jarring contrast between the cutesy character designs and the bloody brutality of the demises of just about every character in the series.
(#4) School-Live

School-Live goes out of its way to try and lull viewers into a false sense of security. At first, it focuses on the cheerful adventures of the School Living Club, a group of girls who live at their school. It's not until later that viewers find out the reason behind this unusual arrangement - the girls are the last survivors of a zombie apocalypse, and are hiding out in the school to avoid becoming the zombies' next meal. This is lost on Yuki Takeya, who is under the same illusion that the audience is in the beginning, but for the rest of the club, life is an utter nightmare.
(#7) School Days

In the beginning, School Days starts off as a typical high school romance anime ridden with tropes. But it's not as innocent as it seems. The main protagonist, Makoto Itou, spends the majority of the series being a disgusting playboy and sleeping around with multiple girls. Sekai even reveals to him that she's possibly pregnant with his child. And that's not even the worst part. Things get absolutely bonkers when Makoto kisses Kotonoha in front of Sekai and asks her to get an abortion. Sekai snaps and stabs Makoto to death in a shocking and bloody scene.

The craziness doesn't stop there. Kotonoha kills Sekai out of revenge and slices her stomach to confirm that she lied about being pregnant. The anime ends with Kotonoha hugging Makoto's severed head while whispering that they can finally be together.
(#3) The Promised Neverland
- Dark Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
The first episode of The Promised Neverland will have you believe that it's a story about adorable orphans being raised by a loving and kind caretaker named Isabella. But the episode ends on a dark and shocking revelation: Grace Field House is actually a human farm that slaughters children and sells them as meat for demons. And Isabella is much more cunning and evil than she appears. The rest of the series is a thrilling and intense race against time as Emma, Ray, and Norman try to escape before anyone else becomes a victim.