[Gorani:] Well, if you've ever been to Japan, you'll agree, its cuisine is among the finest in the world, from sushi to ramen, yakitori to tempura. Japanese dishes are nothing short of an art form and some take that literally. Will Ripley explains.
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] Edogawa is a suburb, like many on the fringes of Tokyo, the kind of place we don't normally see much of in the movies, so different from the flashing lights and pulsing beat of Shinjuku. But lined on these unexpected streets, you'll find some of Tokyo's most promising culinary talent. And their customers are just as unassuming as they are.
[Tomomi Maruo, Teaches Character Bento:] My name is Tomomi Maruo. I teach how to make kyaraben to the students.
[Ripley:] Or character bento.
[Maruo:] When you make it with rice, first, shape the rice and make face parts with seaweed or ham, and just put them into the rice bowl.
[Ripley:] Intricately molding rice, building facial expressions with seaweed, using bits of ham to illustrate emotions all to bring her son's favorite characters to life, just in time for lunch. An art she's perfected over 13 years.
[Maruo:] My kids like me to make people's face, like Michael Jackson or Obama, President Obama or Prime Minister Abe.
[Ripley:] A bento box communicated love in a culture where people don't very often say out loud, I love you. So mothers can express that in the bento box that they make. And when kyaraben came along, they were able to do that and maybe take it to another level, you could say, because they were able to make images on the bento box that their children already had an attachment to. It's a practice that's become so widespread in the country, it's almost expected. But for Tomomi, it's the ultimate act of love.
[Gorani:] Will Ripley reporting there. From love in your lunch box to love on screen, but not one that everyone is sharing.
[Ariana Grande, Singer:] Barely even friends. Then somebody bends. Unexpectedly.
[John Legend, Singer:] Just a little change.
[Gorani:] It may be a tale as old of time, but some people won't be saying be our guest to Disney's new film "Beauty and the Beast." They're taking objection not to the relationship between a woman and a monster but because this character briefly dances with another man. Meet Lefou, sidekick to the villain, Gaston, the reason why a Russian politician wants the movie banned. Russian law forbids showing what it called gay propaganda to minors. Not just Russia. There's been controversy in the United States as well. Ever wondered what Russia and Alabama have in common? Wonder no more. A theater in Alabama is refusing to show the film, saying it goes against the Bible. You can decide what you think for yourself when the movie goes on release later this month. This has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. I'm Hala Gorani. Thanks for watching. I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully. Same time, same place. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.