The Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau announced on April 1 that the famous artist behind The Apothecary Diaries manga, Nekokurage, was charged with violating the Income Tax Act on February 29, 2024. Kyodo News reported that Nekourage allegedly failed to declare approximately 260 million yen (~1.7 million USD) in income, of which 47 million yen (310 thousand USD) was taxable. The undeclared income was achieved from 2019 to 2021. NHK added that according to a source close to the matter. During the investigation, Nekokurage clearly knew his tax filing obligations but said: “I am too I'm busy with this series so I don't have time to talk to the tax accountant.”
Nekokurage apologized after the announcement. She said she had previously neglected to file her final tax return due to ignorance. She added that when she learned from the tax authorities, she immediately paid the entire amount, additional tax and undeclared tax. She is currently working with an accountant to pay her taxes properly and added: “I will accept all consequences of my ignorance and lack of education.” She also expressed regret for causing trouble to those who supported her and those who paid taxes properly, saying, “Nothing like this will ever happen again.”
The Apothecary Diaries' Nekokurage Apology via X (formerly Twitter)
Naturally, these allegations brought unwanted attention to The Apothecary Diaries, which after the anime's highly popular first season immediately announced Season 2 with new visuals and a 2025 release date. Nekokurage reminds all parties that this has nothing to do with the original light novel series, written by Lucy Hyuga and illustrated by Touko Shino, or Minoji Kurata, who illustrated the other The Apothecary Diaries manga adaptation (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Mao Mao no Kōkyu Nazotoki Techo) in Shogakukan's monthly Gene-X Sunday.
Nekokurage began work on the series when The Apothecary Diaries received its first manga adaptation in 2017 in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan magazine. The manga has been serialized since May 2017 and collected into 13 volumes as of March 25, 2024. The third Blu-ray disc for the anime adaptation by Toho Animation Studio and OLM has been released practice this week.
Square Enix also licensed the manga in North America, describing it:
Maomao, a young woman trained in the art of herbal medicine, is forced to work as a lowly servant in the inner palace. Although she yearned for life beyond the fragrant rooms, she did not yearn for a life of drudgery! Using her intelligence to break the “curse” that befalls the royal heirs, Maomao attracts the attention of handsome eunuch Jinshi and is promoted to caterer. But Jinshi has other plans for the former apothecary, and Maomao will soon return to the business of mixing potions and… solving mysteries?!
Last week, Nekokurage also revealed that she had been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, reassuring fans that there was no immediate danger.
Source: Kyodo News, NHK, Nekokurage's X (formerly Twitter)
© Naruto Hyuga, Imagica Infos/Project “Apothecary Diary”