The Apothecary Diaries Artist Diagnosed with Brain Aneurysm

In the past year, The Apothecary Diaries has become a force to reckon with. Created years ago as a light novel, the historical drama made an impressive leap to screen. The first season of The Apothecary Diaries has put the series on the map, so all eyes are on the manga following its finale. And in a new note to fans, the artist behind The Apothecary Diaries has revealed a recent health scare.

The revelation comes from Nekokurage, the manga artist behind The Apothecary Diaries. The artist, whose real name is Erika Ikeda, shared a note on social media announcing they were diagnosed with a brain aneurysm.

View on X

“I’ve been suffering from headaches for a long time, and they’ve been particularly bad lately, so I went to the hospital for an examination the other day. A brain aneurysm was discovered,” she shared.

“It doesn’t seem to be in any immediate danger, so I’m okay. We’re observing its progress while praying that it does not rupture or grow any larger.”

As you can imagine, fans of The Apothecary Diaries are sending all their love to Nekokurage. Any health scare is terrifying, and things involving the brain are on another level. Luckily, the artist was able to uncover this medical issue before it became emergent. At this point, there is no word on whether The Apothecary Diaries will put its manga on hiatus in light of this reveal. For now, it seems the manga will be scheduled as published. But of course, readers are most concerned about Nekokurage’s health.

If you have not checked out The Apothecary Diaries yet, you can find its first season streaming on Crunchyroll now. So for more info on the series, you can read its official synopsis below:

“Maomao, a young woman trained in the art of herbal medicine, is forced to work as a lowly servant in the inner palace. Though she yearns for life outside its perfumed halls, she isn’t long for a life of drudgery! Using her wits to break a “curse” afflicting the imperial heirs, Maomao attracts the attentions of the handsome eunuch Jinshi and is promoted to attendant food taster. But Jinshi has other plans for the erstwhile apothecary, and soon Maomao is back to brewing potions and…solving mysteries?!”

What do you make of Nekokurage’s new note? We wish The Apothecary Diaries’ artist the best with their health moving forward.