Cells at Work! Creator Akane Shimizu Speaks Out on Abuse Claims Amid Ongoing Legal Threats

In a recent X post, the manga author explains why she is sharing details publicly and what she says happened during her debut years

Sebastián Mamani·30/06/2026 23:23 2 min read 0 comments

When you follow manga creators closely, you sometimes end up reading updates that feel less like promotion and more like a line-by-line attempt to reclaim control of a story. Over the past month, Akane Shimizu, best known for Cells at Work!, has been publishing a series of posts on X describing abuse she says she experienced after her successful debut, and she has now added that she is still dealing with legal pressure from the alleged perpetrators’ side, ya pues.

What Shimizu says pushed her to speak publicly

In her latest post dated June 27, Shimizu apologized for worrying fans and said the main reason she decided to describe what happened in public is that, for about half a year, she has felt that legal measures were being suggested in a way that implied potential impact on her work. If you are tracking her statements, you may want to note two points she is emphasizing:

She is framing the posts as a response to ongoing threats, not as a one-time disclosure.
She is asking readers to understand the timing, because she says the situation has not fully ended.

Her earlier disclosure: health, timeline, and alleged abuse

In a June 15 post, Shimizu said she was diagnosed with depression, trichotillomania, and PTSD during the serialization period of Cells at Work!, which she described as spanning roughly 2015 to 2021. Within that timeframe, she alleged the following:

Financial abuse by a family member or members
Sexual abuse
Secondary victimization by her family

She also said she ultimately cut ties with her sister, whom she credits as the person who originally inspired her to draw manga, and that she was left with deep scars from the ordeal.

How you can engage responsibly

If you are part of her audience, what kind of support do you want to show: sharing her statements, staying quiet to avoid speculation, or simply following official updates? In my own experience covering creators’ public disclosures, the most helpful approach tends to be basic and bacán: avoid rumor chains, don’t do amateur investigations, and amplify only what the person has actually said. If you want to act now, consider rereading her posts carefully, saving what she wrote for context, and encouraging respectful discussion in your community, boludo.