Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, has once again taken the internet by storm—but this time, not for his usual tech ventures or political discussions but for anime, particularly your name, a masterpiece directed by Makoto Shinkai. While publicly embracing Japanese animation from the chief executive officer of Tesla has refreshed debates about his affinity for the genre, it has sparked playful battles among fans.
Three years ago, Elon Musk, made his comeback with a video game frenzy on Genshin Impact. His short captioned tweet created a storm in social media as it generated a long comment queue asking for anime recommendations. And the billionaire did not fail to deliver as he shared his own list of anime series and films that made his cut. His top choices were iconic tomes, like Death Note, Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Full Metal Alchemist, and, of course, Your Name.
On 14 November 2024, Musk reignited his passion for anime when he retweeted a post from the widely popular anime page “Anime Aesthetics.” The post was a still image collage from the film Your Name depicting its two main protagonists, Taki and Mitsuha, a mysterious couple who found themselves switching bodies despite never having met. Praise for the film came once again from the fanboy as “beautiful,” three years after he had recommended it to new anime fans.
Meet Elon Musk; Politics Meets Otaku Interests
Amongst the key interest figures of U.S. politics, as previously noted due to his relationship with the newly elected Donald Trump, Elon Musk has been doing his thing lately, taking two important roles to the headlines: he is a tech mogul and a political influencer. Now, after being made head of the new, newly introduced Department of Government Efficiency joined by Indian-origin politician figure Vivek Ramaswamy, one feels that his vested interest in politics has made this oft-debated personality an online focal point.
Dark MAGA Assemble!
pic.twitter.com/JGqFQ1DTGO— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2024
A more recent tweet about a fan’s name sparked the thought that despite his hectic political and business schedules, Elon Musk hasn’t forgotten his Otaku origins. Through some striking blends of pop culture references with both technology and politics, his social media remains dynamic and unpredictable.
Netizens React To Musk’s Anime Love
Topping that one is his tweet praising Your Name to which the online discussions have been sparked, particularly among fellow anime enthusiasts. Many were lauding Musk for noticing the cinematic beauty and emotional depth shown in Japanese animation, much more effective than Western cinema at capturing the transcendent aspects of human experiences. His tweet became a springboard for further conversation on the issue of impact that anime has been gaining around the world.
The followers of Musk reacted with a bit of both admiration and fun. Another quipped that Musk had rebranded Trump’s MAGA (“Make America Great Again”) slogan to “Make Anime Great Again.” Others were marveling that the prospect of an anime-obsessed Musk would be a reality. One quipped, “Elon watches anime too? The US is going to have the greatest governments ever!” Another took it far enough to reimagine Musk himself as an anime hero-one who’d star in a Studio Ghibli film-so emphasizing the fun, imaginative tone of the discussion.
Elon Musk: A ‘Weeb’ In Disguise?
The banter continued from there, when one person yelled, “ELON IS A WEEB,” referring to the popular term for anime fans. With his declaration of love for anime – Your Name being one of his favorites – he is sure now a part of the hearts of all the fans who admire the deeper meaning often bestowed on an anime film.
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