Kyaraben is a style of elaborately arranged bento boxes which feature food decorated to look like people, animals, or pop-culture characters such as Hello Kitty or Pikachu. This style of bento art is so popular in Japan that kyaraben contests are hosted on a regular basis.
But making characters out of food is a tricky endeavor, and sometimes, regular folks just don’t have the skill to do the art form justice.
From deranged Sanrio characters to truly sad-looking snowmen, here’s a look at some bentos that have gone very, very wrong.
Pikachu is fed up that he got trapped in this bento box of struggle.
初めてのキャラ弁なんてこんなもんだろ pic.twitter.com/jFRM8ui8
— 前髪少女 (@renon_917) November 22, 2012
Someone took the news that Hello Kitty is not a cat too far.
WTF is this? An alien? Bigfoot?
これなんのキャラ弁ですかね。なぜたくあんを乗せたし。 pic.twitter.com/IBhnDB8X9p
— かちき (@Kmwamh) July 31, 2014
Hide your kids, hide your wife.
Damn, we didn’t know Tim Burton designed bentos now.
Pro tip: Mayonnaise snot will never, ever be a good look.
We’re down for minimalism, but this is just plain laziness.
We love Kirimi, the Sanrio character shaped like a salmon fillet…but salmon has never looked less appetizing than it does in this #strugglebento.
This looks like some extra-struggly Naïve art.
Winter has officially been ruined.
ままさんが作った初めてのキャラ弁 pic.twitter.com/2lUdbl5o25
— りか (@rikatopachi2101) October 10, 2014
The top penguin is kind of cute, but the bottom one looks like The Gimp with a lacrosse ball in its mouth.
Now, friends this Grim Fandango bento is how kyraben is really done…
Photo: kairamame