(Jmovie Review) Bento Harassment

Other title: Today Again Naughty Bento

Original title: Kyo mo Iyagarase Bento (今日も嫌がらせ弁当)

Director: Renpei Tsukamoto

Writer: Renpei Tsukamoto

Release date: June 28, 2019

Runtime: 106 mintes

Distributor: Showgate

Casts:

Ryoko Shinohara as Kaori ochimaru

Kyoko Yoshine as Futaba Mochimaru

Matsui Rena as Wakaba Mochimaru

Sato Ryuta as Okano

Sato Kanta as Tatsuo Yamashita

If you have some kind of dispute with your parents, either your mom or your dad, this movie might relate to you. I did have this kind of dispute when I was in high school, in a different way from the movie. But still, this movie is quite related.

Futaba, a first year high school student, just got into her school. On the first day of her high school, her bento brought her a bento, lunch box, for her. She never thought that the bento was not an ordinary bento. It has some cartoon character (Red Riding Hood). Then it has some messages (that annoyed her) or supporting messages (that also annoyed her). Well, yeah, Futaba was in her rebellious phase that everything dealing with her mother always annoyed her.

Take this bento, and read my message. Wakatta? :D

Kaori, her mother, on the other hand, tried her best to understand her. She knew that she didn’t have much time talking with her daughters due to her busy work. After her husband passed away 12 years ago, she had to work days and nights to make ends meet. Her only way to ‘talk to’ her daughters was by a piece of paper containing messages put near their futon.

What a kawai bento!

Kaori might be a pigheaded mother for Futaba since she had been making the bento for all the years while Futaba was in high school. 3 years full and she never stopped. However, what she got was just a nasty response from her daughter.  I can see how hard she wanted to be a good mother, a mother who wanted to get her daughter’s attention by making her extraordinary bento every day, a mother who tried to communicate with her daughter to compensate what they didn’t get in the past.

It took her hours to prepare cute but 'nasty' bento :P

Waiting impatiently to see her daughter's reaction to her bento :D

Futaba might represent teenagers in their rebellious phase. Ages around 13-19 may have this disobedient stage. The cases can be various: friends, socializing, identity, control, independence, acceptance, etc. The problem is Futaba didn’t talk much to her mother—a typical teenager.  She thought that her mother might find the cause by herself. She forgot that her mother was a busy mother and worker. Her free time was dedicated for making her outstanding bento. Aside from being embarrassed by the bento, Futaba seemed to enjoy the bento. Not to mention, her friends gave their praise every time she opened her bento during lunch time. So, what was her problem by the way?

What's your problem, Futaba?

This movie is recommended for parents and children, especially parents who face the difficult phase from their children, sons or daughters; children who have problems in communicating with their parents, to express what they actually want and to make compromise between two sides. Kaori’s way—making bento for Futaba, might look hard for mothers who cannot make bento (represented by Okano san who is a single father with five-year-old-son). Kaori is blessed to be good at cooking and making bento (even though she looks to push herself too much), what about those who can’t do that? Well, communicating each other is the best way, I guess. I just finished watching Gibo no Musume special. The blues between mother and daughter is solved by sitting together and talking to each other.

Futaba and Kaori, when a comprimise is made :)

Ryoko Shinohara and Kyoko Yoshine

I watched the trailer months ago, and I already want to watch it. The choice of the casts is always one of the reasons I decide to watch the movie. Ryoko Shinohara was cast as the mother of the disobedient daughter. Long before, I watched her in Last Cinderella. I can’t say that I like the drama, though. The story is just typical romance drama with Haruma Miura as the younger prince. But, Ryoko san’s acting really caught my attention. I haven’t watched many dramas/ movies by her, but I really like her role in Sunny: Our Hearts Beat Together. As a mother of a rebellious daughter who wanted to take revenge of what her daughter did to her, Ryoko san really nailed it. She could turn from a caring mother into a full vengeance mother by inserting nasty messages to her daughter. Nasty for Futaba, but sweet for her friends in class, it’s appealing.

I was shocked to see Kyoko Hishone when she played in Kasane; Fate and Beauty. Her acting was stunning there. Before, I thought she was just an ordinary actress with beauty but far from excellent talent in acting. But I was totally wrong. I was hooked with her in that movie. In Bento Harassment, unfortunately, she didn’t show off her brilliance. She mostly didn’t talk much, she only repressed her feeling towards what her mother did to her. But the way she hid her feelings, her emotions, it looked painful to her. Teenagers like her must be furious to be the subject of embarrassment by her mother, in front of her friends in class, above all, a boy she got attracted to.

Bento Harassment trailer

Last but not least, this is a recommended family movie that you can get the message. Would you discuss the family problem with the ones you love, or you just let it happen and fade away but you still keep the displeasure? If you have any vengeance full kids, and don’t know what to do to solve the problem, just watch this movie. There are many ways to keep your loved ones in your embrace.  

Note:
All pictures credit to mydramalist

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