Blue Box, created by Kouji Miura, is a beloved series combining exhilarating sports with wholesome romance. The story revolves around Taiki and Chinatsu, two passionate sportspeople who attempt to juggle their careers and their romantic feelings for each other.
Blue Box chapter 197 is scheduled for release on May 26, 2025, at 12:00 am JST. This is a Monday. The difference in time zones will translate this to a May 25, 2025, release date for most other locations. The global release timings are: 8:00 am PT, 11:00 am ET, 4:00 pm BST, 5:00 pm CT, and 8:30 pm IST. Hence, international fans can read the chapter on Sunday.
Blue Box has been serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump since 2021 and has gained a dedicated following. The recent chapters have seen extremely significant developments, due to which fans will want to stay updated with new releases. The manga can be read on Viz’s official Shonen Jump website and Shueisha’s Manga Plus platform.

What to expect from Blue Box chapter 197 (speculative)?
Taiki and Chinatsu finally had their first kiss at the end of Blue Box chapter 196, and the next chapter will likely continue with them celebrating their one-year anniversary at Chinatsu’s new apartment. Given that Chinatsu has been craving to evolve her relationship to the next level with Taiki, she has finally taken a huge step towards achieving this.
Blue Box chapter 197 will most probably not just feature Chinatsu and Taiki’s romantic developments, but will also shine light on their reactions to having their first kiss. Taiki, being a shy individual, would be completely flustered, while Chinatsu’s face would be flushed red after boldly making advances on her boyfriend.
The chapter may close out with yet another heartfelt conversation between the two leads, where they make plans for the future and try to break the walls each has built.
Blue Box chapter 196 recap
Blue Box chapter 196 was one of the most highly anticipated chapters, since fans were expecting Taiki and Chinatsu to finally have their first kiss after a year of dating. The latest installment delivered on that and much more. In chapter 195, Chinatsu had invited Taiki over to her new apartment, where the two sat on the floor and secretly hoped to get more intimate.
Chapter 196 picks up from here, with Chinatsu and Taiki sharing a casual conversation with each other. Chinatsu told Taiki to stop talking to her formally, and that she’d punish him if he broke her rule three times. Taiki attempted to oblige and then gifted her a mini printer and a photo album.
The protagonist shared how he wished to fill the album along with Chinatsu, which made her extremely happy. Soon after, both Taiki and Chinatsu began reliving their memories through their shared photos. When talking about a picture from the Cultural Festival, Chinatsu expressed how she was jealous of the rumors about Taiki and Hina kissing.
Taiki, surprised that Chinatsu felt jealousy, slipped back into formal speech, giving him his second strike. The two continued reminiscing about their past, with photos of their school lives, friends, and many more momentous occasions. Taiki, feeling emotional, was thankful for falling for Chinatsu, but spoke formally yet again.
This marked his final warning, after which Chinatsu punished him with a tickle attack. As she pushed him down, the two of them lay down on the floor. Chinatsu told Taiki to repeat her words, asking him to express how much he loved her. Touched, Taiki shared that he wanted to keep spending time and having fun with Chinatsu in the future too.
The two of them shared a hug, after which Taiki informed Chinatsu that she had spoken formally to him three times too. As payback, he finally kissed her, after which Chinatsu prolonged their kiss, which had taken a year to achieve. The chapter ends with the young couple embracing each other, making it an incredibly important and heartwarming installment of the Blue Box manga.