Archive for September, 2010

In a recent interview, Film Censorship Board chairman Datuk Mohd Hussain Shafie touched on Animes, and it’s inappropriateness among children in Malaysia.

Japanese anime deemed dangerous for children’s viewing
September 27, 2010
KOTA BARU, Sept 27 — Japanese anime is among DVDs identified as dangerous as they contain negative elements which can corrupt the minds of Malaysian children, said Film Censorship Board chairman Datuk Mohd Hussain Shafie.

He said many people were not aware of the effects because they did not know the contents of such DVDs, and thought of the Japanese anime as another children’s cartoon creation.

“We have banned a lot of Japanese anime although they are animation and said to be suitable for children, but they are actually more appropriate for adults.

“Some of the anime feature scantily-clad women and scenes which are not good for children,” he told reporters after a dialogue with the secretary of the Kelantan branch of the Film Censorship Control and Enforcement Division here today.

The session was the first held by the board in the state, which was also attended by representatives from the Kelantan Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Office, several film producers, distributors as well as DVD and VCD sellers.

Without mentioning the number of anime which had been banned, Mohd Hussain expressed concern over the matter and said the board had to prohibit those that could not be edited and those that were too risky for children.

“If the anime cannot be edited, then we will ban the episode or the whole series from being aired.”

He said it was best for parents to screen the contents of the animation before allowing their children to view them. — Bernama

As usual there was a lot of debate about this issue, especially in the forum. Some were quite vocal lambasting Mohd Hussain, saying that this issue was the same as the one before when a tabloid associated animes with sex cartoon. But in close inspection, it might be a different thing altogether. More >