Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 197 Review
The dawn is nearly here. Muzan is at the weakest state of his lifetime, all thanks to the goddess or she-devil Tamayo. Everything seems to favor the Demon Slayer Corps. The only problem is, everyone is too at their weakest state. It’s no excuse to rest or stop; they must fight until they drop dead. It’s now or never.
Before the action resume, we got one last bit with Tamayo in her everlasting sadism. Reminds me of Tokyo Ghoul, where a woman embraces a man to drive the fear down to the core. It’s not about making Pillars stronger than Muzan, rather weakening him. It’s the best course of action when dealing with an overpowered villain. She let him know that they share the same drive, only instead, everyone wants him dead. Got to love her for clawing his face. What goes around, comes around.
Muzan reflects the past actions. Everything up to the point drugs go to use was easy to deal with. Unless he’s up against Yorichi, nothing would have harmed him. But because of the drugs, it vastly changed everything; like removing invincibility mode in a video game. Basically, Tamayo turned the tide. Thank God Ubuyashiki called her up to work together. Otherwise, well, you get the picture. My only concern is Muzan planning to analyze the drugs and try to adapt them. If that happens, then it’s game over. The stakes are at all-time high.
Just before Tanjiro makes his move, Muzan, all the sudden, bursts out electro ball shock within his radius. He struck down Iguro and Tanjiro in a matter of a second. I didn’t see that coming; I was accustomed to his hack and slash performance. Muzan mutated his body further, now have a mouth for a body. It’s bizarrely cool. The electric shock didn’t only damage them; it paralyzed them.
The tension runs higher and higher when Tanjiro can barely breathe. I know he’s the protagonist, but this disturbs me greatly with his monologue breaking up apart. His expression doesn’t help either; the boy is in sheer pain. Arguably, the scariest part is Iguro, who has disappeared for the rest of the chapter. He was really close to Muzan before the surprise attack. Tanjiro was far away, yet he took serious damages. I got a bad feeling about his condition. He may be on the verge of death. Also, I believe the tag went out. I’m afraid to see him again.
The crow was killed off, which means the countdown clock is off. Now the Pillars will have to guess on the timer. Muzan is an animal serial killer. This affected Ubuyashiki Family since they tied their visions to the crow. One of the girls does say that they only have 25 minutes left. They’re so, so close. Muzan is walking off and Tanjiro can’t get up at all. Seriously, I don’t want to even know Iguro’s condition. All hope seems to be lost until the most interesting man in the world arrives.
Out comes Inosuke, who I couldn’t applaud any louder. Thank God Muzan is weakened; can’t use his techniques. The standout part of this confrontation is Inosuke’s monologue. At first, I thought he was talking about his prideful self as usual, which is a norm of his character. But it finally hit me when he start listing the injuries or to be exact, the loss of limbs from his comrades. It actually sadden me to hear the prices they paid with their bodies. He wants Muzan to take them back; otherwise, die a million times. The overflow tears through the mask hits me hard. Sometimes, I don’t want this series to end.
Inosuke tried, but Muzan struck him badly with some monstrous worm-like attack. Once more, all hope seems to be lost until another most interesting man in the world arrives. Out comes Zenitsu, saving Inosuke’s life, and he too has a standout monologue to boot.
This time, it’s about Tanjiro, telling him not to die. Nezuko is going to turn human again, and when this war is over, they can go back home together; back to where the family is waiting. Now I can see why he single-handed saved this series. Granted, it’s a theory from fans, but this moment really remind them why he is so beloved by many. All sincere, all greatness.
The action rages on. Inosuke returns the favor by saving Zenitsu’s life in the nick of time. Still, the two are in danger and Tanjiro has to find a way to get back up. The moment when he’s about to stab himself is quite unnerving. It’s been since Edward from Full Metal Alchemist that has me cringing when it involves with impalement. It’s the only option he has left; he has to stab himself to break free. He doesn’t even know if it will work. He also has to be really careful on where to stab. I didn’t think a realistic approach would play here, so it’s all the more reason to cringe at the possibilities.
The chapter ends with a sign that the epic climax is fast approaching. Muzan is weakened to the point of exhaustion. While he’s battling against the two upcoming Pillars, the current ones are on their way. Giyu and Himejima are barely up, but won’t stay down until they are dead. Giyu is going to fight with one arm; that’s hell of a commitment. Wonder how his fighting style would work now. As for Himejima, the bite on the chains says it all. His death flag is the highest, especially when Yushiro said he can’t fight anymore. My guess is his time is here. It will suck, but at least he will die for the sake of humanity.
This was a gripping chapter that built the climax as the most epic endpoint yet. I adored the beginning with Tamayo going off with the last laugh. Tanjiro’s agony was cringe-worthy, in a good way though. Inosuke and Zenitsu were the stars here with their monologue, expressing their feelings for their comrades. The action was pretty good and with the Pillars on their way, it will be intense. It’s all leading to the final stand from all fronts. The dawn is coming…
