Bright/Cute Art Styles + Dark Stories?

[Ambat]

I was reading some replies in another thread and started getting curious about the general consensus on this topic. What do you/would you think about a comic that had a colorful, cartoony, cute or otherwise art style, but had a dark/"adult" story? Including things like gore, sex, etc.

Based on the replies that I saw in the other thread, it seemed like people were weirded out or turned off by this--in a way I guess it's to expected, but at the same time it's strange to me because I feel like contrasting visuals and stories is a niche that gets filled by a lot of popular media? Personally, some of my biggest inspirations in terms of story are animes like Madoka Magica or Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni where the art style and direction is cutesy, but the story takes dark and depressing turns. I've always found this contrast extremely interesting, plus I find cartoony/bright character and world designs much more appealing in general.

In other media, the contrast has been successful as well (Happy Tree Friends was really big for a while! There's also Watership Down, which JESUS CHRIST) I suppose it's situational and based on the content of the story?

In my comic Nocturne, things will get really dark pretty fast, and there'll be corpses, sex, drugs/alcohol, etc.--I've always had a slight worry that people might be thrown off by the cartoon-y nature of my art style, but I guess I'll just try and cater to the niche!

Interested in hearing other perspectives!

[joannekwan]

Hmm, I think the biggest qualm I have with cutesy art styles paired with more adult themes is when characters are involved in a sexual act. Especially if the characters look like minors, then that makes me uncomfortable. (unless that's the point)

I don't wanna watch/read no Boku no Pico shit.

Your style reminds me of Dead Leaves, so I would categorize it as "adult cartoony", like stuff you'd see on Adult Swim. So I wouldn't be too shocked to see more mature things in it.

[Ambat]

Dead Leaves

Wow! The art for Dead Leaves looks really nice--thanks for pointing me in it's direction! Also I see what you mean--I'm also personally against the depictions of minors in sexual acts, so like the argument of the whole moe anime girls that look like they're 12 being an art style choice has always felt bad to me...

[nessiefynn]

Cutesy styles with grim stories can be great, imho, especially when the cute styles enhances the ideas of the show. For example, Kaiba is one of my favorite anime, it looks like a show for Nick Jr. but has sex, violence and all sorts of dark, depressing ideas. The art style clashes with the story to reflect how messed up and immoral the world has become. I don't know how the art style is going to really work with Nocturne because I don't know the whole plot yet (lol duh) but so far it seemed to compliment the story pretty well. Colorful and bouncy, fitting for a story with a rock star vampire. I think the art style might get kinda jarring if you go into hyper-grimdark territory, though, but I think it could still work if you frame it the right way.

[Kyuu]

I love those kind of stuff. For example, Dead Dead Demon's Dededed Destruction has a really cute art style (awesome as well) e.g.

But it deals with some heavy issues (and the main character has a crush on her teacher and there's some episodes on those although no actual sex scene came out).

I think in overall, the constrast bring surrealness. And that, I think bring some attentions to it.

[Ambat]

True! Kaiba is a great example of the type of contrast that I love in media. I think it just goes to show that it's pretty much contextual as to whether it's fitting or not? Thanks for the input on Nocturne by the way--I don't think things will get like all the way grimdark, like a lot of things will be ~fade to black~ or implied as opposed to outright displayed, but the themes will still be present? I think I will have to think about how I want to visually demonstrate things in a way that's not jarring with my art style!

[zetina]

see, I'm okay with it too!
because I watch anime/read manga!
and that's the niche market for that stuff :'D is there non-Japanese stories like that? there must be but I can't think of anything at the moment.
the first thing I thought of was Puella Magi haha

idk about a consensus but I dig it when people break rules in general. like that shapes-for-character-types cartoon design thing? where you would use circles for protags and triangles/sharp edges for villains or smth. you end up villifying people who have pointy noses, for example xD well probably not but
anyway i love contrast a lot so whether it's a contrast between the happy start and the grim ending or chara development, im down B)

[WakaXO]

I have always liked the pairing of cute visuals and dark themes, it might be becuase all the manga/anime I have read/watched. The pairing usually invoke themes like corrupted innocence and damaged morality, both interesting themes in their own rights. I think as long as the mature content is handle in the right way, ex. not just thrown in for "shock & awe!" or done to the extreme, it shouldn't be too jarring to your readers.

[indagold]

Watership down though was the most realistic you can get with bunnies. I should know, I owned some.
For me it depends really, some things work, some things don't. Sometimes it feels like it's trying to be shocking and edgy, while something like Madoka, as you mention, works.

[Michelle]

I think as long as the mature content is handle in the right way, ex. not just thrown in for "shock & awe!" or done to the extreme, it shouldn't be too jarring to your readers.

Agreed! Cute+dark can work, so long as it doesn't seem like its only purpose is to be edgy and shocking. Then it feels shallow.

But @amberavara I don't think your style is too cute for mature subject matter! I see plenty of shows and comics that are intended for adults that make use of a simplified cartoony style. Sometimes a really cartoony style makes gore and violence a little more palatable. Like, I can't imagine if South Park was in a realistic style :I

Though I do think Watership Down isn't really a cutesy style. Bunnies are cute, yeah, but the style lends to a more serious tone than Bambi or something. Same with the manga example above, it's "cute" in the sense that it has big-eyed anime characters, but the style of inking/toning clearly establishes that there are darker undertones.

[alaingrey]

I think it's something that works really well in animation because the voices give a lot of contrast and realistic weightiness, but as comics don't have sound they can suffer. I firmly believe that my comic both suffers and benefits from the art style, and suffers largely because it's a bit cute (although I try to tame the cuteness with dark colors and gritty texture) I think the people who want to read something cute expect a cute storyline, and the people who want to read something dark want gritty, dark art. In terms of finding your audience, it can be real hard and people will be consistently confused about it. I think animations can do it because with a star cast, people are willing to give it a chance.

[Greg_Dickson]

@amberavara Hey, I don't have a super realistic and gritty style either. I mean, look at my banner. It's just ridiculous. But I have parts in my story where things get pretty violent with swearing included, like the beginning of my comic. I don't consider it as a bad thing. People are getting a kick out of my 'cartoony violence', as they put it, so I just roll with it. The people who don't like it...well, I don't care. You really can't please anyone. If it's not the type of content being put out there, people will find other reasons to not like your comic, such as picking apart story, dialogue, pacing, art, characters, colours, you name it. But a lot of people will also like how you approach those things, so really, there's no universal solution. And if Nocturne was dark and gritty looking, chances are that you wouldn't like it, because that's not how you envisioned things, and then you wouldn't be putting out your best work. So whether your work has mass appeal or a niche market, I say just roll with it, as there are some people who will be bound to enjoy it. I mean, I'm enjoying it as well of course, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it, so just enjoy creating it.

[Kura]

Sometimes I don't mind it.

Sometimes I can't help but just burst out laughing. Especially when it's supposed to be taken seriously.

I know that the moment that kid flipped out and started killing everyone around him with a baseball bat is supposed to be really gory and really serious... but their heads are so big.... and their eyes are so big.... and their voices are so high.... and the colours are so bright... I duno.... and all the little girls screaming long "no's" are screaming in Japanese so it all sounds like they're all screaming "YEAH!!! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH" YYYYYYYEEEAAHHH!!!!" the idea that I am supposed to take this seriously is just so funny that I completely lose it.

[VermillionWorks]

There's also Watership Down, which JESUS CHRIST

I haven't seen any later versions but I thought the semi-realistic art style of the 70s movie fit the dark story well....rabbits are just naturally cute. XP

Sometimes I can't help but just burst out laughing. Especially when it's supposed to be taken seriously.

....but this is why I have a hard time taking things like anime with cute art styles and graphic violence combined seriously. The contrast just makes it funny to me. But yes, there is audience for this stuff still, so this may just be a matter of preference.

[jacintawibowo]

Interested in hearing other perspectives!

Ooh yes! I studied this for my own comic too, even if it doesn't go as far as sex and gore.
The appeal I think comes from the idea that the more realistic a style, the closer the storytelling it's tied with will be to reality. So when you cartoon something, and especially when your cartoon it in a childish way you're giving the expectation that you are distancing your storytelling from reality and (in terms of cute cartooning) distancing yourself to somewhere safe and innocent. The interesting thing about cute + dark is that it plays against those expectations. The "safety" of the style is contradicted with the darker storytelling.

It was things like this that made Fritz the Cat super popular for its time. It was considered edgy and anti-genre for playing against expectations.

Your style reminds me of Dead Leaves, so I would categorize it as "adult cartoony", like stuff you'd see on Adult Swim. So I wouldn't be too shocked to see more mature things in it.

Same! I get that feel from your style too. There's just enough cartooning in your stylization that adult content wouldn't be too out of place.

is there non-Japanese stories like that?

Beautiful Darkness comic by Kerascoët’s and Fabien Vehlmann. The style is super cute, but the content is super disturbing. There is gore, it's not over-the-top for shock value and sexual things are only suggested. I had to put the book down by the time I was done. The psychological horror is strong in this one!