Appetite for Anime: Food Artist Creates Anime-Inspired Bento Box Lunches

Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor

Aug 5, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

Greetings, otakus and foodies alike. We were all probably told not to play with our food as children. Our parents thought that they were avoiding unnecessary mess, preventing food waste, and instilling in us a sense of respect for the sustenance that nourished us as we grew. Little did our poor parents know that they were actually creatively blocking us from the path of becoming talented food artists like Riyu Yuda (@riyuyuda or @you.stance_ing). A mother herself, she creates delicious and healthy bento boxes for her son filled with rice, fish, veggies, and pickles in the likeness of popular Japanese anime characters. Thinly and meticulously-cut seaweed serves as details and line-art in her mouthwatering compositions.

Some creations are so accurate that it might look like she 'cheated,' but upon closer inspection, just about everything in these bento boxes is edible. She just uses unique techniques to bring 2D to 3D in the most delicious way possible. Enjoy a selection of her work below, and try not to drool like a Titan at the thought of eating your favorite anime characters.