The Apothecary Diaries mangaka Nekokurage announces manga's continuation following sentence

Modified Sep 17, 2024 10:04 GMT

The Apothecary Diaries mangaka Nekokurage announces manga's continuation following sentence (Image via Toho Animation Studio, OLM)

Thursday, September 12, 2024, saw The Apothecary Diaries manga creator Nekokurage post a statement to their official X account regarding the series’ future. In the post, they confirmed that their manga will continue serialization following their being convicted of tax evasion in Japan on July 24.

Nekokurage cited that they plan to continue the series as a way of atonement and showing gratitude to both readers still supporting the series, and those involved who are allowing them to continue. The Apothecary Diaries mangaka was handed down a suspended sentence of 10 months in prison and also received a fine of 11 million yen.

The Apothecary Diaries mangaka Nekokurage posts apology for recent tax evasion, confirms manga’s continuation

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In addition to confirming that The Apothecary Diaries manga would continue, Nekokurage also apologized for the inconvenience that the tax evasion case has caused. They added that they’re sincerely reflecting on the incident after receiving the aforementioned guilty verdict and sentencing. They also added that they’re working with a trusted tax accountant, vowing that nothing like this will ever happen again.

Real name Erika Ikeda, Nekokurage’s verdict came from the Fukuoka District Court in Japan. Their fine of 11 million yen is roughly US$77,146 by current conversion rates. The 10-month sentence is suspended for three years, meaning that if they remain on good behavior for that time, they’ll serve no time in prison. The prosecution initially sought 10 months in prison and a 14 million yen fine, converting to roughly US$98,186 currently.

This suspended sentence is likewise how Nekokurage is able to continue working on their manga series. Square Enix has stated that they’re “not particularly considering canceling” the series following the verdict. This is understandable, as the series has gained a massive following in the wake of the premiere of its Fall 2023 television anime adaptation.

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Nekokurage was indicted on February 29, 2024, on suspicion of failure to declare roughly 260 million yen (about US$1.8 million) in income and evading 47 million yen (US$329,627) in taxes from 2019 to 2021. Japan’s National Tax Bureau claimed the tax-evaded money was used to purchase real estate and originated from manga sales.

Nekokurage pleaded guilty, adding that they had “no intention of evading the tax payments” and planned to “pay it all at once later.” Nekokurage later posted to X on April 1 and explained that they had neglected their tax returns due to ignorance rather than a desire to evade them.

They also explained that the taxes and fees were paid in full in 2022 per instructions from the tax office and that this is a personal matter that involves no one else in the The Apothecary Diaries manga’s production.