This weekend I experienced my first true Fan-Dad moment.

As a dad who happily bathes in the wonderful world of pop culture, I’ve made it a point to share some digestible treats from that realm with my kiddo. One of those things, of course, is anime.

Relax, don’t lose your head. I’m fully aware that a lot of anime is absolutely not for kids. The stuff she’s watched is harmless: Pokémon, Studio Ghibli, that weird cute egg show, and Sailor Moon. She’s not about to sit down and watch Dandadan or Ninja Scroll, trust me.

But there are things she’s discovered on her own. And that thing is KPOP Demon Hunter.

She’s watched that movie probably five or six times. I’ve seen it three or four. Mom has seen it at least half a dozen times. And honestly, it’s not a bad flick. It’s easy to see why it’s appealing. The music absolutely slaps, the female leads are flashy, and it’s full of sparkly anime-style spectacle.

But with every micro-obsession comes things. And that thing, of course, was:
“Daddy, I want to be a Demon Hunter for Halloween.”

Thus begins my quest for the costume. Thus begins my journey across the lands. Thus begins my feverish attempts to explain my failure to the one true queen of the house.

Folks, I’m telling you, I drove damn near 50 miles across three different towns, hit three different stores, and found not a single costume, prop, or anything remotely related to this mega movie. It’s insane. Insane, I say!

According to a source close to the source of the guy’s brother’s uncle who is the source, the studio didn’t expect Demon Hunters to be a hit. So they made virtually no merch. Talk about missing out on a cash cow. I’m sure by Christmas the shelves will be packed with KPOP-branded everything.

But guess what? That doesn’t help me right now. I need a child-sized Rumi costume.

Sigh. The point of this story isn’t to capture my anxiety, but to savor the fact that it happened. The full-circle moment. That same feeling I had as a kid (not as young as her, but still a kid) when my dad drove me across creation to find my slice of pop culture. Mine was Harry Potter.

It was fun. We even stopped at our local record store and bought the soundtrack to jam to. It was a jammin’ good time until she got tired, had to use the bathroom, and simultaneously wanted to eat, go home, and go to the park.

The adventure continues.