The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) has given much to talk about since its appearance as a series of light novels, but it was from its anime adaptation that its popularity increased considerably for many anime fans. But like any story, it is not spared from being involved in criticism and even legal problems, as the person responsible for the manga adaptation has been involved, putting in doubt the future of the beloved Maomao.
The Apothecary Diaries mangaka in legal trouble
The popularity of The Apothecary Diaries Maomao skyrocketed in many parts of the world, not only in Japan, positioning itself at the top as one of the best-selling titles in recent months, and thanks to its fan base, this story can now be found in English thanks to the publishing house Panini, which publishes the manga. But the fame of a work always has different points for or against, and now The Apothecary Diaries has been in the updates in Japan and not only for sales reasons.
In recent months it had been announced that The Apothecary Diaries might be in legal trouble, which put on alert the thousands of fans of the most beloved anime’s apothecary. It was revealed in the media that Erika Ikeda, 36 years old and mangaka under the pseudonym Nekokurage, who is in charge of the manga adaptation of the light novels, was involved with problems because she was allegedly evading taxes in Japan for some time.
Investigations into the case began, and it was only recently updated and revealed that Ikeda, who is in charge of the manga adaptation of The Apothecary Diaries, did indeed evade taxes. Recently, the first hearing in the trial against her was held in the Fukuoka district of Japan. In which she faced charges of violating the Income Tax Law, in which it is estimated that she has evaded to date about 47 million yen, equivalent to approximately 300 thousand dollars.
During the trial, the manga adaptor accepted the charges and in her defense implied that she did not intend to evade these payments, as she was just waiting for the time to be able to declare all the taxes accumulated over the years in a single payment. It was mentioned in the trial that Ikeda started as a mangaka in 2010, and that he did know that he had to file taxes, but that he gave more importance to his work and deadlines than to tax issues.
Between the years 2019 and 2021, the manga adaptation manager submitted income of 260 million yen, equivalent to approximately 1.65 million dollars, but did not declare it at the corresponding time, so at the end of that amount she evaded about 47 million yen. According to the case, the prosecution noted that this is not the first time Ikeda has filed tax returns several years later.
The case was joined by statements from a publisher of the story, and even from the author of The Apothecary Diaries novels himself, that Ikeda had already been warned of the consequences of failing to file his tax returns on time. In addition, he was advised to consult an accountant, as it could jeopardize the serialization of The Apothecary Diaries.
In the end, Ikeda paid all the taxes he owed, including accrued interest, so it seems that the matter has been cleared up. However, fans continue to follow the case and hope that, as mentioned by the author of The Apothecary Diaries, Ikeda’s tax problems will not interfere with the publication of the manga.
The Apothecary Diaries tells the story of Maomao, the daughter of an apothecary, who had such a peaceful life, until she was kidnapped and sold by some men to the lower levels of the imperial court as a servant. She gradually adapts to her new life, hiding her medicine skills to avoid unwanted attention, but to the protagonist’s luck, this does not last long.
Soon after the emperor’s young children inexplicably begin to experience severe symptoms of something unknown to many, however, Maomao easily solves this mystery and to throw off her attention leaves an anonymous clue with a solution to the children’s symptoms, but, the perceptive eunuch Jinshi notices and manages to identify the girl. Thanks to the protagonist’s contributions, she is promoted to lady-in-waiting to the emperor’s favorite concubine, Gyokuyou. So she will live a quieter life serving the concubine, however, the mysteries affecting the court will continue to make Maomao’s life even more interesting for her.
©日向夏・イマジカインフォス／「薬屋のひとりごと」製作委員会