Neon Genesis Evangelion Animator Responds To Elon Musk’s Anime Tribute

Elon Musk is one of those people you either love or hate. The founder of Tesla has become a high-profile figure thanks to all his lofty tech goals, and he’s no stranger to controversy. So, it was only a matter of time before another confrontation came knocking at his door.

And this time, well — it just so happens that Neon Genesis Evangelion is the thing coming for him.

The whole ordeal began on Twitter this past week when Musk posted something about Neon Genesis Evangelion. The tech giant posted a GIF of the anime with the caption “Anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live.”

There’s no doubt Musk posted the tribute to honor the anime’s recent move to Netflix. Last week, the streaming service began screening Neon Genesis Evangelion to users along with its films. However, it seems one animator on the classic series wasn’t too impressed by Musk’s endorsement.

Taking to Twitter, Mitsuo Iso shared Musk’s post with a biting comment. “Didn’t you stop Twitter,” the artist asked, poking Musk over his recent decision to take a break from social media after he enraged netizens by sharing un-credited NieR: Automata fan-art.

For fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion, they may know Iso’s name. The animator is considered to be one of the most noted who worked on the series. Not only did Iso cement his name within the industry after Neon Genesis Evangelion, but he continued his streak with other key titles. Iso has also worked on noted franchises like Ghost in the Shell, Mobile Suit Gundam, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to name a few.

So, did you ever expect to see Elon beef with the Evangelion crew? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a psychological drama by way of giant monster versus mech anime. The franchise debuted as a television series in 1995-1996 with two films following in 1997. The series follows Shinji Ikari, who is recruited by his father to pilot the giant mech Evangelion in the fight against giant monsters known as Angels in the futuristic city of Tokyo-3. But Shinji is unwilling to bear this huge responsibility and is often conflicted about taking part in a war he was dragged into. This conflict of emotions leads to many introspective episodes that cover the range of religious, philosophical, and existential concepts.