Hachijojima – a small Japanese island with beautiful blue waters and lush green mountains is home to a single mother and her high school daughter who is going through the “rebellious phase.” The girl who used to call her “Mommy” now totally ignores her and doesn’t even answer when spoken to. The exasperated mother seeks revenge using “bentos” (home-made boxed lunches) as her weapon. She names them “Iyagarase Bento” (Revenge Lunches) and for three long years, sends her teenaged daughter to school with cute mascot characters and sweet messages just to embarrass her.

Whether she comes home late from work or from drinking, she never fails to make her daughter a bento lunch dripping with sugar-coated messages of love. The daughter is appalled, but gradually, their bond deepens.

Time flows slowly on Hachijojima. The story of a mother’s love will resonate with all teens going through the “rebellious phase.”

After three long years, the final “bento” message is a “thank you letter” from mother to daughter. This true “bento” story, full of laughter and tears, is also a universal tale of mother-daughter love!