What Hyuuga's Post Does and Doesn't Say
The withdrawal became public on September 21, attributed only to poor health. Natsu Hyuuga, the author of The Apothecary Diaries, filled in the rest herself on X that same day, and her explanation was brief. She is in the hospital, she wrote, and her blood test results are still not where they need to be, so she had to call off the trip. She added an apology: "I'm sorry. I've caused a great deal of trouble."
That's the whole of it. The post says nothing about what she is being treated for, how long she has been in the hospital, or when she expects to be discharged. It also says nothing about any effect on the light novel series or the anime, and neither does the report from Japanese entertainment news site Oricon that carried it.
One thing the post does make clear: Hyuuga is not pulling out of the event entirely. Her appearance is changing format, not being cancelled.
Overload NZ Turns a Guest Slot Into a Video Call
Overload runs September 26 and 27, 2026 at the New Zealand International Convention Centre in Auckland, its first year at that venue after outgrowing its previous home. It is New Zealand's dedicated anime and manga convention, and booking the author of The Apothecary Diaries was a coup for a show of that size.
Rather than cut the programming, organizers reworked it. Hyuuga's segment becomes an online Q&A, and attendees can put their questions to her on screen. Ticket holders still get the panel; it simply happens through a monitor.
The Rest of Oricon's September 22 Roundup
Hyuuga's hospitalization topped Oricon's most-read anime and game stories for September 22, but it was not the only story drawing readers.
Veteran manga artist Masakazu Katsura (Wing Man, Video Girl Ai, I"s, Zetman) set social media off with a piece of fan art. He posted an illustration of the VTuber Non-chan on September 20 and wrote that he had drawn her after enjoying her tipsy drinking streams, adding that he wondered how her ears and tail come off and go back on. Replies ran heavily to variations on "the sex appeal is insane." Non-chan answered on X, telling followers to look at every corner of the picture.
The roundup also carried new stills from the film Detective Precure!, released alongside handwritten messages from the voice cast, plus a synopsis and screenshots for episode 96 of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
The biggest number on the list belongs to Chiikawa. According to the roundup, the Chiikawa film has passed 15.84 billion yen (approximately $105 million) at the Japanese box office, clearing the best result the Detective Conan series has posted and taking the top spot on the 2026 domestic release ranking. Nagano, the artist behind Chiikawa, also made the list with a post reacting in surprise to the bonus "secret book" included with the film.
Looking Ahead
The Apothecary Diaries returns for a third season on October 2, 2026, with OLM (Pokémon) producing and Crunchyroll handling the international stream. It is a split-cour run: the second half arrives in Spring 2027. Yorushika performs the opening theme.
After the first half wraps, a theatrical film opens in Japan in December 2026, built around an original story written by Hyuuga rather than an adaptation of existing novel material. No international release has been announced for the film.
English readers who want to get ahead of the anime have options. J-Novel Club has released the light novels digitally since November 2020, Square Enix handles the print editions, and Square Enix Manga & Books publishes Nekokurage's manga adaptation. No further update on her condition has appeared since the September 21 message.