{"id":34771,"date":"2026-07-09T17:04:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:04:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/kodansha-apologizes-to-cells-at-work-author-akane-shimizu-over-lack-of-support-improper-crediting\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T17:04:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:04:37","slug":"kodansha-apologizes-to-cells-at-work-author-akane-shimizu-over-lack-of-support-improper-crediting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/kodansha-apologizes-to-cells-at-work-author-akane-shimizu-over-lack-of-support-improper-crediting\/","title":{"rendered":"Kodansha Apologizes to Cells at Work! Author Akane Shimizu Over Lack of Support, Improper Crediting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Publishing company <\/span>Kodansha <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kodansha.co.jp\/notices\/717\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">released a statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> apologizing to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work! <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">author <\/span>Akane Shimizu<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, following the post the mangaka made in early July about situations she has faced in recent years. The publisher acknowledged that it had failed to implement a medical supervision system for the author and that it had failed to create an adjusted workflow arrangement that would allow assistants to help the mangaka, who has struggled with multiple medical diagnoses and financial and sexual abuse.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 16px;\">Furthermore, the publisher apologized for not providing a proper crediting system for some of the spin-off works and publications released after the anime adaptation, namely the 2019 <em>Learn about Anatomy! Cells at Work Encyclopedia of the Human Body <\/em>guide. According to Shimizu, her name was removed <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/yellow_flame_\/status\/2072800217838297409\">after she raised issues regarding the editing process<\/a>.\u00a0<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work! <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">manga went on an indefinite hiatus following the release of the fifth volume in 2017 before resuming with a final volume in 2021. During that time, multiple manga spin-offs were released, including <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work!: Bacteria!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work!: Neo Bacteria!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by <\/span>Haruyuki Yoshida<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work and Friends!,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work!: Platelets!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by <\/span>Kanna Kurono<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, as well as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work!: White Brigade<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by <\/span>Tetsuji Kanie<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 16px;\">In the same statement, Kodansha stated that the editor involved in the author\u2019s editorial management has been removed from the position, and that they are in talks with Shimizu to improve the editorial department\u2019s management and supervisory systems. According to Shimizu\u2019s X\/Twitter posts, the editor failed to provide any corrections and refused to assist with a research-heavy manga set inside a human body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Akane Shimizu released a statement on X\/Twitter stating that during <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018s serialization, she faced overlapping hardships and was diagnosed with depression and trichotillomania, followed by post-traumatic stress disorder. She also disclosed that she suffered financial abuse and sexual abuse from relatives, as well as secondary abuse from family members, and that she ended up losing contact with her younger sister, who had inspired her to start drawing manga in the first place. Shimizu calls those experiences wounds that remain deep even today.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She is currently working on a new series, titled <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yellow Flame,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and although <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/yellow_flame_\/status\/2066073872789885324\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">her posts imply that<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0the serialization initially started out rough due to self-doubt and the previous editor\u2019s approach, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/yellow_flame_\/status\/2072578663154122901\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">she says she has built a good relationship<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with her current editor.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 16px;\">Shimizu explained she felt compelled to keep speaking out because, for around six months, the perpetrator\u2019s side had been suggesting legal action that would have a potential impact on her work. She said the other party had pursued mediation despite her wishes, including a request that she be barred from contacting them \u2014 something she felt shifted the burden onto her as the victim \u2014 and that she\u2019d been discouraged from pursuing the case in court out of concern it could affect the series.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> manga was serialized in Kodansha\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monthly Shonen Sirius <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from January 2015 to January 2021.. An anime adaptation by David Production aired for two seasons, during the Summer 2018 and\u00a0 Winter 2021 anime seasons. The anime adaptation of the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cells at Work! CODE BLACK <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spin-off was animated by <\/span>LIDENFILMS<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and aired from January to March 2021.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Sources: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kodansha.co.jp\/notices\/717\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kodansha official website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/yellow_flame_\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Akane Shimizu official X\/Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Publishing company Kodansha released a statement apologizing to Cells at Work! author Akane Shimizu, following the post the mangaka made in early July about situations she has faced in recent years. The publisher acknowledged that it had failed to implement a medical supervision system for the author and that it had failed to create an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11622],"tags":[24750,3125,9773,24749,4453,8547,13246,3548,24751,3952,3743],"class_list":["post-34771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animeplug","tag-akane","tag-apologizes","tag-author","tag-cells","tag-crediting","tag-improper","tag-kodansha","tag-lack","tag-shimizu","tag-support","tag-work"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",0,0,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",0,0,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",0,0,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",150,150,false],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",300,300,false],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",1024,1024,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",1536,1536,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",2048,2048,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",370,265,false],"kava-thumb-s":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",150,85,false],"kava-thumb-s-2":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",230,230,false],"kava-thumb-m":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",400,400,false],"kava-thumb-m-vertical":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",370,500,false],"kava-thumb-m-2":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",570,450,false],"kava-thumb-l":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",1170,650,false],"kava-thumb-xl":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",1920,1080,false],"kava-thumb-masonry":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",600,999,false],"kava-thumb-justify":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",640,640,false],"kava-thumb-justify-2":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cells-At-Work-Manga.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1",1280,640,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"#RiseCelestialStudios","author_link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/author\/ralph-c\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/category\/animeplug\/\" rel=\"category tag\">ANIME PLUG<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Publishing company Kodansha released a statement apologizing to Cells at Work! author Akane Shimizu, following the post the mangaka made in early July about situations she has faced in recent years. The publisher acknowledged that it had failed to implement a medical supervision system for the author and that it had failed to create an&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34771"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34773,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34771\/revisions\/34773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}