DEMON SLAYER: THE FLOWER OF HAPPINESS – THE FLOWER OF LOVE.

Considerable as a spin-off, the novel Demon Slayer: The Flower of Happiness "addresses untold stories between parts of the main storyline." Indeed, true to its name, the work is like a "Flower of Happiness" that author Koyoharu Gotouge and writer Aya Yajima send to readers, after so much suffering, sacrifice, and loss on the bloody and tearful journey of the young Kamado Tanjiro.

LOVE GIVEN WITH EACH PETAL

First of all, it must be stated that the novel Demon Slayer: The Flower of Happiness is not a complete adaptation of the Demon Slayer series, from dialogue and imagery to literary language. In keeping with the original spirit and ideas of author Koyoharu Gotouge, Aya Yajima has penned and told the extremely ordinary stories of the Demon Slayer Corps members.

The setting remains the Taisho era, where demons have threatened human lives for years. The demon hunters, like Tanjiro's group, wield their Nichirin swords, are ready to sacrifice their lives to protect the people. But the approach is different, more ordinary, simpler, and warmer; the individual stories have the meaning of a spin-off of the novel Demon Slayer: A Flower of Happiness, devoid of sorrow. It seems as if the entire book is filled only with sweetness, reflecting the tearful lives of these young men and women who have already experienced so much misfortune. And perhaps, it is a consolation for the soul, a flower of happiness for each person, after all the losses that occurred in the main story.

This was the period when Tanjiro's group rested and recovered from their injuries at Hisa's house, after their dangerous missions were over. During this time, they were invited to a village wedding. The beautiful bride, around Nezuko's age, made Tanjiro feel immense sorrow for his sister, who couldn't even stand in the sunlight. This sorrow spurred Tanjiro to set out in search of the legendary Physalis flower, with the hope that Nezuko would find happiness…

This was also the period when Tanjiro's group recovered and trained at the Butterfly Mansion. After a long day of training, Zenitsu invited Nezuko to play in a meadow not far from the Butterfly Mansion. There, he promised to weave Nezuko beautiful white clover wreaths. But a single yellow flower blooming amidst a field of white flowers reminded Zenitsu of a distant past…

Or perhaps it was the event that occurred after the group had completed their mission, relaxing and shopping before returning to the Butterfly Mansion. Suddenly, Zenitsu was told by a fortune teller that he would encounter a terrible misfortune and die a horrific death. This left him unable to remain calm, and no one could comfort him.

Or like the story of the two girls, Aoi and Kanao. From the initial misunderstandings between the two friends, two teammates with seemingly conflicting and opposing personalities, after a mission together, after a day spent together, experiencing joy, sorrow, disappointment… they came to understand each other's hearts and souls.

And there's also the interesting appendix: the Demon Slayer Academy. There, the boundary between humans and demons no longer exists; everyone is a student and teacher living together under one roof called Demon Slayer. Each part of the story has a different setting, time, and plot. Sometimes sweet, sometimes reflective and contemplative. Sometimes humorous, sometimes profound and insightful. Each story seems to have its own separate plot, yet ultimately, they are unified. This is because these parts of the story are always connected by a common thread: love.

This love is embodied in the legendary flower that Tanjiro risked his life to find, the wisteria flower on the family crest hanging in the homes of the families rescued by the Demon Slayer Corps, the petals that evoke memories, or the spinning windmill resembling the red flower Kanao once blew… All of these not only connect the parts of the story but also imbue the plot and events of the book with a subtle happiness. Just as the book's title, "The Flower of Happiness," suggests.

HAPPINESS MUST BE FELT AND HOLDED UPON YOURSELF

With a length of just over 200 pages, and content resembling a spin-off, it can be said that the novel *Demon Slayer: The Flower of Happiness* cannot encompass the entire cast of characters from the main story. Instead, the work can only delve into and portray the personalities of a few representative individuals.

For example, the young Tanjiro, despite enduring immense pain in his past, remains strong and resilient, especially in his unwavering devotion, kindness, willingness to sacrifice, and gentleness towards his friends, particularly his younger sister Nezuko. Or Zenitsu, seemingly shy and timid, yet in dire circumstances, he remains a trustworthy person. Or Inosuke, with his fierce, aggressive, and wild nature, but also possessing subtle insights and judgments. And Nezuko, despite being transformed into a demon, still "doesn't abandon her warmth," her eyes still firmly holding onto her view of happiness. For her, happiness doesn't come from a magical flower in legend, but rather, each person's happiness must be decided and seized by themselves.

In addition, there are other members of the Demon Slayer Corps, the two girls, Aoi and Kanao. One is outwardly tough and strong but inwardly incredibly vulnerable. The other is outwardly timid and lacking in conviction but inwardly extremely sensitive and profound. These two girls, like two sides of a coin, are both opposite and complement each other's shortcomings.

Furthermore, the Demon Slayer Academy supplement, while changing the characters' identities, retains their personalities intact. Therefore, following author Aya Ajima on her visit to that special academy, readers will meet the passionate history teacher Rengoku or the taciturn and… violent physical education teacher Tomioka.

Using flexible narrative perspectives, one chapter is written in the third person, with an omniscient narrator, while another is written in the first person, with the narrator using "I," recounting their own story. With constantly shifting viewpoints, Aya Ajima offers readers different perspectives on each character, perhaps familiar from the main pages of Gotouge-sensei's novels.

This reveals that the boys and girls of the Demon Slayer Corps, no matter how life-or-death situations they face or how resilient they are, are still just ordinary people. These people carry hearts riddled with pain. Therefore, they always yearn to love and be loved, to live each moment to the fullest. Or simply, for them, just being able to live alongside friends and family is a source of happiness; being in control of their own destiny is also a way for them to reach for their own happiness.

Each teenager in the Demon Slayer Corps possesses a unique personality, and using the advantages of the novel genre and literary language, Aya Ajima delves deep into the psychology of each individual in the book. Each teenager, despite their different personalities, shares a common unfortunate fate, having lived a life of wandering without a warm family home. Amidst a war that may continue, with blood still spilled, their hearts beat in unison. They understand that, despite harsh circumstances, they always have friends; they are not alone. Each person is like a piece of a puzzle, creating a complete, colorful picture of the Demon Slayer series in general, and of the novel "The Flower of Happiness" in particular.

THE FLOWER OF LOVE AND HOPE

As mentioned, the novel *Demon Slayer: The Flower of Happiness* contains simple, everyday details, almost devoid of bloodshed and combat scenes like in the original story. Therefore, the book also has a very simple, gentle, and emotionally rich writing style, especially when the author describes the inner feelings of the characters: “My sister is gentler than anyone else. My sister, even if she turns into a demon, will not abandon her warmth. If I had one wish, I would wish for her to become the happiest woman in the world.”

Along with that, the story contains many poetic descriptive sentences: “We left the teahouse just as the western sky was tinged with a fiery red. Holding hands, we walked through the town gradually sinking into darkness, our shadows stretching across the ground in the faint twilight.” Besides that, amidst the comical and absurd situations, author Aya Ajima's writing style also shifts to a rather charming humor: "Faced with Zenitsu's bizarre actions, Tanjiro could only bow like a bird pecking at grain and say sorry."

Indeed, Aya Ajima has almost fully utilized the advantages of literary language in storytelling and description to create a novel, *Demon Slayer: The Flower of Happiness*, with its multifaceted, colorful, and nuanced tone.

With a structure of five chapters, each with different content, *Demon Slayer: The Flower of Happiness* resembles a collection of short stories more than a novel. But in the end, it is still a novel, as each part aims to portray the members of the Demon Slayer Corps, and the underlying theme throughout the work remains love and hope. Indeed, after so much loss and suffering in the main story; The book, titled "The Flower of Happiness," captures the humorous and heartwarming moments of brotherhood between the villagers and the Demon Slayer Corps, between Tanjiro and Nezuko, and among the members themselves, in the early days of winter, offering solace to those who have, are, and will continue their journey of searching for meaning amidst a life still filled with bitterness.