A little rice, some Japanese-style hamburger and a deep love of geeky subject matter have turned bento box blogger AnnaTheRed into an accidental internet star. Inspired by sci-fi, anime and videogames, the edible art she prepares for her boyfriend has generated online buzz and taken the modest former art student by surprise.

See also: Gallery: AnnaTheRed's Best Geeky Bentos

"There are so many charaben (character bento) blogs in Japan," she explained in an interview with Wired.com. "It's as popular as knitting. My bentos are nothing in comparison to the dedication and details on theirs."

Nevertheless, AnnaTheRed's work, like the Wall-E tableau above, caught the attention of Neatorama and other nerdy blogs that chart the outer reaches of coolness. The self-described "lazy" bento maker, who prefers to remain mostly anonymous, spent her early years at art school in New York City after emigrating from Japan. Now she works for web-based battle card game Alteil, and crafts nutritious tributes to geek faves like and Battlestar Galactica to stuff into her boyfriend's lunch box.

Wired.com caught up with AnnaTheRed to discuss her surprising popularity, the allure of her boyfriend's "Awwww" and why bento boxes are an art form unto themselves.

__ __Wired.com: Why did you start making these bento boxes?

AnnaTheRed: One morning, I was packing lunch with the leftovers from the night before for my boyfriend and myself, and I only had Japanese-style hamburg and rice in it. It wasn't enough, so I made a chicken with a hard-boiled egg and octopi with fake (fish cake) sausage and put them in.

I had seen hard-boiled-egg chickens on some site before and wanted to try it. It looked nothing like charaben (character bento). It's not in my blog or my Flickr; you can only see it on my boyfriend's Flickr because I'm so embarrassed by it. But when my boyfriend saw the bento, he just went "Awwww." That's how it started. I simply wanted to hear it again.

Wired.com: You started out in art school. Did you ever think your talents would manifest this way?

AnnaTheRed: I majored in sculpture and video installation at an art school in New York. I worked pretty hard at the school. I barely ate or slept, but I loved every minute of it. Still, I'd never dream of being an artist. I don't think I'm cut out to promote myself in art world. I do love making things with my hands, though. I guess I'm more crafty than artsy. I realized that food is so much easier to work with than metal or wood, but sometimes I do get the urge to epoxy food together.

Wired.com: Why so many sci-fi and anime boxes?

AnnaTheRed: My boyfriend is the one who eats it, so I only pick the themes which he likes or is interested in. Fortunately, we share very similar interests. We love games, and each of us owns a Wii, 360 and [PlayStation 2]. We are also huge anime nerds, so films by Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli have a special place in our hearts. Our favorite film is My Neighbor Totoro. We also watch Battlestar Galactica together. We're very happily nerdy.

__ __Wired.com: Are you thinking of following up with more sandwiches, as some readers might not be familiar with Asian ingredients? Or is this a good time for them to learn?

AnnaTheRed: I've been trying to do how-to's with ingredients anyone in the U.S. can get. Since my blog is in English, I figured that there are more non-Asian food eaters reading my blog. The Wall-E sandwich was a great challenge for me because I don't usually pack sandwiches for bento.

It was fun trying to figure out how to make things without using Asian ingredients such as kamaboko (fish cake) or seaweed. Some how-to's require Asian (Japanese or Korean) sticky rice, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to tell people who read my blog to eat rice. It's just an option.

Nothing (except my boyfriend's "Awww") makes me happier than hearing someone telling me: "Your bento inspired me to make this!" But the main reason I do how-to's is that I want more people to realize how easy it is to make an enjoyable meal. I believe that cooking and preparing food shouldn't be a chore.

Wired.com: Did the popularity of these boxes take you by surprise?

AnnaTheRed: Yes, totally. Mostly because there are so many charaben blogs in Japan. It's as popular as knitting. Most of them are by moms making bento for their kids. My bentos are nothing in comparison to the dedication and details on theirs (not to mention that most of them make bento daily.) I think most non-Japanese people have never seen those sites, because you have to google it in Japanese to find them. Copy and paste "????" in Yahoo Japan to see some sites.

Wired.com: How do yours differ from theirs, if at all?

AnnaTheRed: I think the major difference between my bento and Japanese moms' bento are the themes I pick. I don't make Pokemon characters or Hello Kitty because my boyfriend doesn't like them much. I also tend to pick monsters or creatures but not human characters for my bento. It's incredibly hard to make food look like a human character, and I lack the patience or skill to do it. Also, I think it's a bit creepy thinking of eating human characters, but eating cute Ghibli characters isn't. I know it's weird, but that's how I feel.

Wired.com: How did you start getting your work out to the people?

__ ____AnnaTheRed: __When I made the Katamari Damacy * * bento, my friends told me to send it to Kotaku. I sent it to them, but I didn't get any reply. It didn't bother me at all. I just thought, "Oh well."

Later, a bunch of smaller game sites started putting the pictures of my videogame-themed bento on their sites. I remember my boyfriend and I were googling around to find more sites with my bento pictures and bookmarking them. We were so excited.

Around that time, my boyfriend was shooting, editing and uploading the pictures on his Flickr account. He'd also put notes on the photos explaining what ingredients were used. I wasn't uploading the photos on my Flickr because I was lazy. So when the photos of my bento started to show up on internet, I was known as "Kickintheheadcomic's girlfriend." Then I started blogging about my bento, and a little while later my boyfriend became "AnnaTheRed's boyfriend." We thought it was hilarious.

Wired.com: Does your boyfriend feel like an accidental star now, too?

AnnaTheRed: I'll have him answer that question ...

AnnaTheRed's Lucky Boyfriend: I don't know if "star" is the right word, but it is funny to have the internet practically ordering me to marry her. They make it sound like if I don't marry her tomorrow then our relationship is over. Lots of people make comments about what a lucky boyfriend I am (this will sound cheesy), but I knew I was a lucky guy long before she made her first bento box.

Wired.com: Which boxes do you get the most fun out of making?

AnnaTheRed: This one is always hard, but I must say Katamari Damacy, Sleeping Totoro and Nekobus #2. Because everything went pretty much as I expected for those three. Also I think those bento were very balanced in terms of color and nutrition.

Wired.com: Which are the hardest?

AnnaTheRed: Each one of them! Seriously. The one that may look the easiest always ends up the hardest.

Wired.com: What boxes do you want to make down the line?

AnnaTheRed: If I tell you, I'll have to make sure my boyfriend doesn't read this. I always keep my bento a surprise, and my boyfriend isn't allowed to look at my sketchbook and kitchen, sometimes even inside the fridge, when I make it. But I assure you that it'll be always something geeky or nerdy.

Wired.com: Can readers request some?

AnnaTheRed: I might take requests on certain characters, but I'm not sure if I take request for bento from complete strangers. I don't see any point making anything when I can't see them go "Awwwww" in person.

I did give away Raving Rabbid cookies to my co-workers, and they loved them. If I thought it was worth a challenge, I just might.

As matter of a fact, when my Katamari bento was featured in Destructoid.com, the guy who wrote the article said, "If anyone needs me, I will be in the kitchen re-creating a scene from Shadow of the Colossus out of my grilled cheese sandwich." I took this as a challenge and made Shadow of Colossus grilled cheese sandwich with seaweed. This was so much fun. Because I loved Shadow of the Colossus, and his joke just inspired me to do this one. But this was a very rare case. And it's unlikely that I'd make a taco that re-creates the entire opera scene from Final Fantasy VI.

Wired.com: Now that your blog is gaining in popularity, I notice that you've had to send out some take-down notices. Has that changed your approach to your blog and your work?

AnnaTheRed: I have no problem with people posting the photos of my bento on their blogs or site. It makes me happy. But I find copying an entire page, with all photos and texts, and putting it on their blog or site downright disrespectful. I'm sure, and hope, they didn't mean any harm, and most of them sincerely apologized to me after I asked them to take it down. My boyfriend suggested to put a watermark on my photos after that. It did make me sad though, because I hate putting watermarks on the photos!

Wired.com: Are you worried about copyright now?

AnnaTheRed: I'm not mass-producing my bento and selling them or anything, so no, I'm not worried. I guess charaben is considered a fan art of which only one copy in the world exists and disappears in a several of hours after it's made. If you're asking if I'm worried someone will try to take credit for my bento or not, again, I'm not too worried. It's annoying if someone decides to claim my bento as their bento, but it's not hard to find them. Hooray for the internet! Also claiming to have made something like bento when you haven't is just so sad. I'll still politely let them know that I don't appreciate it, and they should just make their own bento!

Someone posted my Super Smash Bros. Brawl bento picture on Reddit.com for the second time (I guess he didn't see the first one), saying that, "My mom made this for me." But then someone wrote a comment: "This was made by AnnaTheRed for her boyfriend. Are you saying that AnnaTheRed is your mom and you're also dating her?" I loved it. Unfortunately, it was removed shortly after that. But if anyone just wants to "copy" my bento, using the same ingredients and composition as a guide, I say go for it!

Wired.com: Speaking of, one of your friends made a book of your stuff on Lulu (pictured, right). Are you thinking of self-publishing some books?

AnnaTheRed: The book my friend made came out really nice, and I love it! There are charaben books published in Japan and the U.S., but I believe the publisher has to get copyrights from the original character designers.

Aside from all the copyrights issues, I really doubt anyone would want to buy it except my family. If I ever have an opportunity to publish such a book, I'd put more extensive how-to's on each bento with tons of pictures.

Wired.com: Maybe you should start an online video show. I bet Food Network snaps you up!

AnnaTheRed: An online bento show? I so lack finesse. I don't know if people can learn anything from looking at me making it.

Wired.com: Fair enough. At the least, are you thinking of quitting your day job?

AnnaTheRed: No, because I like my day job. It's a job, so it's stressful sometimes, but most of my co-workers are also my geeky, nerdy friends. I make plush toys as a hobby, and in fact, I was given an opportunity to have some of my patterns mass-produced and sold a couple of years ago. I was so excited, but the whole process dealing with a factory was ... not very fun. I know it's a different story, but I probably prefer to keep my hobby as a hobby.

Photos courtesy AnnaTheRed

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