The Apothecary Diaries is soaring way up high after the success of its anime’s first season. After an official second-season announcement, its franchise, both its light novel and manga, is also experiencing a new great achievement, with over 31 million copies in circulation as of January 2024—a huge jump from 27 million as of November 2023. However, amid these triumphs, its manga artist, Nekokurage, is now facing a tax evasion case.
Barely a week after revealing her brain aneurysm diagnosis, Nekokurage has another hurdle to face. She was suspected of committing tax evasion by the Fukuoka Regional Tax Bureau. The news comes from the X user @MangaMoguraRE, and amidst the claims that it was only an April Fools joke, given it came out on April 1, the artist herself had already addressed the issue.
According to Tokyo-NP, Nekokurage was suspected of violating the Income Tax Act for failing to declare her income of about ¥260 million, including her earnings as a manga artist from 2019 to 2021, evading approximately ¥47 million income tax. The National Tax Agency claimed that the money was used to purchase real estate, while the case was filed on February 29.
Alternatively, in her post, the manga artist apologized for the negligence and ignorance about property taxing and explained her side. She added they are now working with a tax accountant to resolve the issue and claimed she already paid the taxes and fees in 2022 after not declaring her income following instructions from the tax office. She then stressed that the tax evasion case is a personal matter and has nothing to do with The Apothecary Diaries or its creators, author Natsu Hyuga and illustrator Touko Shino.
Who is The Apothecary Diaries artist Nekokurage?
Nekokurage is a Japanese manga artist whose real name is Erika Ikeda. Her works are mostly serialized on Square Enix, like The Apothecary Diaries. She started illustrating the said series after it was adapted into two manga in 2017. She Fukuoka Design & Technology College, formerly known as TECH.C. Fukuoka.
She also worked on the story and art of the manga Cao Zhi Kei Boy (2011-2012) and the one-shot Poetry of the Sword, Poetry of the Brush in 2010. With her great talent after, she has won the Monthly Gangan Joker Newcomer Manga Award Honorable Mention and Square Enix Rookie Manga Award Runner-up.
What is The Apothecary Diaries about?
The Apothecary Diaries is a Japanese light novel series written by Natsu Hyuga and illustrated by Touko Shino. It has been serialized online since 2011 before it was published as a novel with a single volume in 2012 and as a light novel in 2014 by Shufunotomo. It was then adapted into two manga series in 2017, published by Square Enix and Shogakukan. J-Novel Club has licensed its digital release, while Square has licensed its print and manga releases in English. Toho Animation Studio and OLM produced its anime adaptation, with its first season released from October 2023 to March 2024. The second season is set to be released in 2025. Crunchyroll streams the anime in North America.
You can read the synopsis below:
Set in a fictional country based on Imperial China during the Tang Dynasty, the series follows Maomao, a young girl working as an apothecary in the red-light district, who is kidnapped and sold to the Imperial Palace as a servant. However, she still retains her curious and eccentric personality and plans to work there until her years of servitude are over, without drawing the attention of anyone. One day, after hearing rumors that the emperor's children are critically ill, she begins to investigate the cause, using her experience as an apothecary, and successfully solves the mystery of their illness. Even though she intends to remain anonymous, her actions eventually catch the attention of an influential eunuch and soon finds herself solving various mysteries for the royal court.
Nekokurage has been surprising fans with her life updates as of late. But as she stays optimistic and promises to have the situation under control, this tax issue may be resolved soon.
