Spare a thought for Hayao Miyazaki, the 84-year-old Japanese anime director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, which has produced such hits as My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away. After decades spent honing his craft and meticulously making his hand-drawn films, frame by frame, Miyazaki discovered that his distinctive style was suddenly reproducible via a new image generator that OpenAI released as an update to ChatGPT last month. Such was the spike in demand that the platform saw one million new users in an hour; OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, whose own profile photo on X has been given a Ghibli-style makeover, said that he had to plead with users to slow down to give his staff and servers a little respite. 
 
Some fans are up in arms, exhorting others not to share Ghibli-esque images. And while Miyazaki hasn’t responded directly, he said in 2016 that he considered images created by such technology “an insult to life itself”. His son Goro recently said that though AI-generated anime films are inevitable, creators such as his father were “irreplaceable”. However, he acknowledged that young Japanese animators, already in short supply, are unlikely to be drawn to the manual labour involved in making a Studio Ghibli film. 

On the surface, ChatGPT can seemingly do a decent Ghibli imitation. But there’s no depth to its approximations. They reveal nothing of the experiences that inspired Miyazaki, who was born during the Second World War and grew up in the tough years that followed. They also say nothing about his pacifism or the darkness that stalks even the cheeriest of his films – which often contain themes such as environmental destruction or motherless children. Miyazaki is a man who shuns the usual publicity rounds and he didn’t turn up to collect either of his two Oscars, the first in 2003, because he “didn’t want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq”. The idiosyncrasies of the man and his films are reduced to a “look” that wouldn’t exist without his lived experience. Where does that leave the animators of the future? 
 
Where the law is concerned, it’s murky territory. OpenAI doesn’t allow images to be generated in the style of individual living artists but, it says, “We do permit broader studio styles.” In other words, something in the style of Miyazaki isn’t acceptable but something in the style of Studio Ghibli is. I needn’t have to explain how legally perverse this is.
 
“Art just became accessible,” one user of the AI Ghibli treatment posted on social media – as though access to Miyazaki’s craft was a right and the computer-generated clones represent the democratisation of art. But these forgeries – whether born from inspiration or imitation – cannot capture the work and labour of the originals. Animators will do well to remember that. 
 
For more on AI in the animation industry, click here. Wilson is Monocle’s Tokyo bureau chief and senior Asia editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Defining yourself in opposition to Donald Trump has only so much rope – as Canada’s newly elected prime minister Mark Carney is about to find out (writes Tomos Lewis). Carney’s election campaign was dominated by matters beyond his country’s borders, specifically the economic upheaval caused by US tariffs and threats to Canadian sovereignty. Today, however, the campaigning stops and the job of leading begins.

Monday’s election result was a remarkable turnaround for Canada’s governing Liberal Party and represents one of the biggest swings in the history of the nation’s polling.  A record 7.3 million early ballots were cast. Carney successfully framed Canada’s numerous internal challenges – high inflation, an urban-housing crisis and a paucity of defence spending – as reasons to loosen the country’s economic dependence on the US. Voters liked what they heard. But that combative talk now needs to turn into solid, actionable policy.
 
To read the full story, click here.

Last week the African Union launched its own space agency in Cairo (writes Rory Jones). The African Space Agency (AfSA) encompasses the space programmes of all 55 member states. While several African nations, including Egypt, Libya and South Africa already have a significant space presence, this multinational agency has been formed to address foot-dragging when it comes to collaborative projects.

“Africa has fantastic, innovative ideas,” David Whitehouse, space scientist and author, tells Monocle Radio’s The Briefing. “There are many opportunities for its individual nations to work with the European Space Agency but having an agency of Africa’s own will streamline these projects.” While Europe will remain the African Union’s natural partner, AfSA has already struck a deal with the UAE to develop small satellites. “In 10 years’ time, we should see wonderful things in space coming out of Africa from this development,” says Whitehouse. 

Ho Chi Minh City has rarely felt this giddy or patriotic (writes Connla Stokes). The 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s reunification falls on 30 April but celebrations are already well under way. For the past week, jubilant residents draped in red and gold have packed the streets to witness fireworks, military parades, marching bands, live music and fighter jets, all in preparation for the big day.

At the heart of the festivities is Bach Dang, an open-air installation on Nguyen Hue Walking Street by artist Le Huu Hieu. Close to the bronze statue of Ho Chi Minh, the lacquered-wooden stakes and towering forms of this newly commissioned piece pay tribute to an audacious naval victory in 1288, when Vietnamese forces defied the odds and defeated a vast Mongol fleet. Bach Dang is a reminder that the Vietnamese have, time and again, charted their own path. This week, in places from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, many will be drinking to just that.

Good Company Books is a newcomer to Lisbon’s literary scene. Opened last year by Giovanna Centeno and her partner, Samuel Miller, it focuses on English-language titles and serves coffee, baked goods and wine. It also recently won a Monocle Design Award for best bookshop. Monocle sat down with the couple to hear about what inspired them to open the shop.

Why did you want to run a bookshop?
Giovanna Centeno: We wanted to fill a gap in the city and create a place where people from all languages could connect over literature, coffee and good wine. Portugal is a very welcoming country and Lisbon is the perfect city in which to put down roots. We felt that booksellers could be tastemakers and a beacon for the unsung heroes of the publishing industry.
 
Tell us about the space and design of Good Company Books.
Samuel Miller: We invested a lot in materials, working with Belgian architect Perrine Velge of Studio Pim to create custom-made furniture throughout. Velge took her cues from the rich modernist and art deco heritage of the Avenidas Novas neighbourhood.
 
How do you choose what makes it onto the shelves?
GC: We’re an English-language bookshop but we also want to stock Lusophone authors, whether they’re from Portugal, Africa, Macau or Goa. For us, it was very important to make this connection. An English bookshop could be seen as something that isn’t made for residents but that’s not the case. 
 
You can listen to the full interview on a special bookshop edition of Monocle Radio’s ‘The Stack’ here.

The luxury slowdown has been one of the fashion industry’s biggest topics of conversation this year, dominating headlines and post-runway chatter. Retailers are reassessing their budgets and renegotiating selling terms with brands, while luxury houses are downsizing their events. Some media types are wondering whether they will lose their fashion-week chauffeurs next season. 
 
There is no questioning the slowdown. For the first quarter of 2025, LVMH, the world’s largest luxury group, reported a 4 per cent sales drop for its all-important fashion and leather-goods division, while sales at Kering-owned Gucci dropped by 25 per cent. Donald Trump’s tariffs pose another very real threat, with brands needing to reconfigure their supply chains and potentially raise prices that are already inflated. This week, Louis Vuitton made the decision to increase the price of its popular Neverfull tote by 4.8 per cent in the US.

But the industry also has a tendency to overreact. Hermès has just reported a 9 per cent revenue uptick, reaching more than €4bn, while Brunello Cucinelli grew by 10.5 per cent. The Prada Group has also turned Miu Miu into a billion-euro brand and expanded its portfolio, acquiring fellow Italian label Versace for €1.2bn. 
 
Opportunity still exists. But with tougher market conditions, customers are reassessing the value of luxury, raising their standards and only investing in best-in-class quality or designs that touch them emotionally. Some houses have been relying on branding and reissuing archival designs for a little too long – a “band-aid strategy”, as analysts like to call it, that is now catching up with them. 
 
When I think about the chasm between different brands’ balance sheets, I keep returning to a conversation that I recently had with Amy Smilovic, a designer and Tibi’s founder, who alighted on her own formula for success by downsizing her company, focusing on her own taste and ignoring industry trends. “You can’t do luxury on €1bn of sales,” she told me. The success of the likes of Hermès and Miu Miu might contradict her statement. Still, it’s becoming clear that achieving luxury at scale is a near-impossible undertaking. It requires a delicate balance of creative risk-taking and smart financial forecasting that only the boldest, most visionary business leaders will be able to get right in the current landscape. 
 
Theodosi is Monocle’s fashion director. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

There’s an ambitious new jazz venue in Copenhagen’s city centre: Epicurus, a joint where the focus is as much on delighting the palate as getting people’s feet tapping (writes Michael Booth). The cocktail list was created by mixologist Rasmus Shepherd-Lomborg, who is behind two of the Danish capital’s most celebrated bars, Ruby and Lidkoeb. Meanwhile, Mads Bøttger, formerly of Michelin-starred Dragsholm Slot, is the maître de maison. The menu offers Franco-Nordic fare that combines the best of both cuisines: think a mix of indulgence and clean flavours. Locally sourced, seasonal produce feature in dishes such as beef tartare with wood sorrel.

The heart of Epicurus, with sumptuous earth-toned interiors by Italian-Danish architects GamFratesi, is the live stage. In the spacious lounge, Danish jazz icon and pianist Niels Lan Doky is luring major international artists with the promise of longer-term residencies. To reach it, guests make their way down an old-school Hollywood staircase. It’s certainly the place to come if you want all of your senses tickled.

Lebanon’s cultural institutions have long existed in a hostile environment. Historically, artistic production in the country has not been supported by European-style public-sector sponsorship. Yet Beirut’s arts institutions persevere. For Monocle’s May issue, we visited three cultural spots with an unshakeable belief in the power of culture in times of crisis. 

Metropolis is a picturehouse that’s putting arthouse film in the frame. “The cinema is almost 19 years old but this is a new venue,” says Hania Mroué, its founder and director. “In general, the audience of arthouse cinemas across the world is ageing but that’s not the case in Beirut.” After five years without a permanent location, the theatre inaugurated its new space in December and thousands of people descended on it on opening night. Mroué’s 15-person team has been playing catch-up, hosting events programmed for a 2024 season that was truncated by the war. 

The new venue sits in Mar Mikhael, a two-hall structure with an outdoor projection area. In April, it hosted a festival focusing on the cinema of the Global South. “We gathered international filmmakers who work with the same constraints as the Arab world: censorship, lack of support and infrastructure,” says Mroué. “It was interesting to see how they dealt with these challenges, while still managing to create wonderful films.” 
 
To read the full story on Metropolis’s persistence through years of war, pick up a copy of the May issue today.

Zed Nelson, who was recently named photographer of the year at the Sony World Photography Awards, has spent the past six years working on The Anthropocene Illusion, a project that meditates on the fractured relationship between humans and nature. Those who picked up a copy of Monocle’s 2024 edition of The Forecast will have seen some of the shots there first. Here, Nelson tells us about the project and the stories behind the images.

What’s the idea behind ‘The Anthropocene Illusion’?
It’s about how humans have divorced themselves from nature and have increasingly devastated the environment. It’s also about how we have started creating more artificial and managed versions of nature – the very thing that we’re losing. I argue that what we create, from theme parks to zoos, become monuments to what we have lost. 
 
How do you want people to respond to the images?
Lots of them are uncanny or weird and that’s what I wanted to achieve. Take the lion image. The animal looks friendly but there’s a very dark story behind it. These lions are bred and tamed from birth as part of a tourist experience called “Walk with Lions”. Let’s not forget that there isn’t that much that separates us. 

What surprises you about the project? 
The project is about humans and the world that we have made for ourselves. But there are actually very few people in it. Looking at the animals, you almost get the sense that they’re asking us what we have done [to the natural world].
 
Nelson’s work is on display at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 at Somerset House until 5 May. His book, ‘The Anthropocene Illusion’ is out on 15 May. You can listen to the full interview on tonight’s episode of ‘Monocle on Culture’. 

As Canada heads to the polls, we take a look at how urbanism made its way onto the ballot, from the housing shortage and cities’ response to tariffs to plans for Toronto’s Downsview Airport.