Biased in my love for Demon Slayer, this was a cute and great book about some of my favorite characters.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of demon slayer. I read the manga and watched the current released episodes of the show. this was a gorgeous story and i love hearing more about our dynamic duo of siblings. i cannot wait for this to come to my shop.

Book Review
Title: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba One-Winged Butterfly by Koyoharu Gotouge & Aya Yajima
Genre: Manga, Fantasy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
This is short story collection set in the world of Demon Slayer that answers some questions left unanswered by the main series or just fills in more of the backstories of the characters we came to love. The first story in this collection is One-Winged Butterfly and it is the story of how Kanae and Shinobu became demon slayers. We know in the manga that there parents were killed by demons and they were saved by Gyomei who at the time was dealing with a lot of his own grief still. Afterwards the girls come to thank him and ask for him to train them in become demon slayers, at first he refuses because he doesn’t want to get attached to them but after doing just that he gives them a test. If they can move a boulder in his garden before he returns from his mission then he will introduce them to trainers but they will be going to different ones since Gyomei knows even at this point Shinobu will never be strong enough to cut off a demon’s head.
Despite being a lot smaller and physical weaker than Gyomei , the girls put their heads together and use a lever to move the boulder and Gyomei follows through on his promise. We then jump forward to just before the main story takes place and see the change in Shinobu after the death of her sister through Gyomei’s eyes and he feels like he lost them all over again and can’t bring himself to say anything about because he knows nothing will take that grief away.
The second story Correct Onsen Recommendation is set during the Pillar training when the younger demon slayers are training under Tengen. This training is really hard especially for the cowardly Zenitsu but Tengen want to make him stronger. Tengen eventually uses Zenitsu’s weakness to women against him by asking him to dig out an onsen for his wives. Zenitsu doesn’t want to do it but when Tengen mentions mixed bathing his attitude completely changes. Tanjiro has already moved on to the next Pillar while Inosuke and Zenitsu are still with Tengen. He enlists Inosuke’s help in finding the onsen by telling him bathing in it will make him stronger.
They eventually manage to find it just before nightfall and the pair are found a short time later by Tengen and his wives. However, when Inosuke learns Zenitsu lied to him, a chase begins that ends with Zenitsu passing out. While the wives and Inosuke take their turns in the onsen, Hinatsuru looks after Zenitsu and sees a wonderful potential trainer and father in Tengen even if he doesn’t see it himself.
The third story, Mitsuri Kanroji’s Secret was obviously Mitsuri’s story and it takes place entirely during a flashback Mitsuri has when Tanjirou asks her why she joined the demon slayer corps in the swordsmith village arc. In this flashback she is telling Shinobu why she joined the corps, later she learns of Shinobu’s past and her reason for becoming a demon slayer which leaves Mitsuri feeling incredibly embarrassed. Mitsuri wants to fit in with the other Pillars since she is pretty new and decides to hide her carefree, almost childish behaviour from them which eventually leads to a decline in her health and ability to fight.
Unsurprisingly it is Obanai who notices first and ropes Shinbou into finding out why Mitsuri is acting strange. When Shinobu literally sneak attacks Mitsuri and makes her explains why she is acting this way, Shinobu reassures her. She explains that while many of them have pasts that aren’t good which lead to them becoming demon slayers, it is people like Mitsuri who joined for the companionship that the corps offers and those that join to help others that keep the other Pillars going and urges Mitsuri to not hide who she is and not to change herself either as they love her for who she is.
The fourth story, A Dream in the Moment is Genya’s story and it was heart-breaking. After the fight with Hantengu and Gyokko while Genya is recovering at the Butterfly Mansion he has several dreams about when he and Sanemi were children before the death of their mother. These dreams make Genya realises how much he wronged his brother at the time and wants to make things right but doesn’t think he will ever get the chance. To my surprise, it is Sumi, one of the young girls living with Shinobu that helps Genya out of his depression and helps him find a way forward. While he hasn’t made things right with Sanemi at this point it doesn’t stop him from making new friends and relying on them like he does with Tanjirou and Muiichirou.
The fifth story, To An Unsmiling You was a fun little story told by Giyuu to Tanjirou during the Pillar training. Giyuu explains that Sanemi has always disliked him and the story is essentially all the other Pillars trying to make him smile in various ways and failing. When it is Sanemi’s turn, Shinobu tells Sanemi to ask Giyuu if he wants Salmon stewed with daikon (Japanese radish) which is his favourite and when he turns Sanemi down because he has already eaten, Sanemi explodes. While Giyuu still doesn’t understand to this day why Sanemi was angry with him, Tanjirou does and explains hoping to foster a friendship between Giyuu and Sanemi since at this point in the series, Giyuu has finally accepted his place among the Pillars.
The final story takes place in the world of Kimetsu Academy which is a short strip done in some Demon Slayer volumes where Gotouge writes the characters in modern day high school and while it was funny it was my least favourite of the collection since it didn’t add anything to the original series really. Overall, it was some nice insight into the characters we didn’t get to spend much time with and if you like the Demon Slayer manga or anime then definitely check it out.

This is a great light novel for fans of Demon Slayer who want to get back into the world for a few fun romps that will heal the ache in your heart from the manga series.

We are back to the Corps with these short stories. This is the perfect companion to the Demon Slayer series where we can revisit the characters and delve further into their personalities and relationships. I especially love the dialogue and interactions between them. I absolutely recommend this for fans of the franchise. Super stuff!

I enjoyed this short story collection more than the previous one, I felt like the stories were better and more engaging. This book focuses more on the hashira characters (and Genya), giving us glimpses of these characters we didn't really get in the series. Shinobu is my favorite, so I was delighted to get more of her and learn a bit more about her character and her connections to the other hashira. I had always felt that the group was a bit neglected in the series, given that most of the died without really getting much background about them, so I'd definitely recommend this book just based on the fact that you'll get more of these characters.

Fans of the anime and manga will love this book of short stories from the lives of the Hashira in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The manga may be finished at 23 volumes but you can still read new stories and see new art from the series. Also included is a school story featuring the characters getting ready for a music festival.