KOTA BARU: Japanese anime has been 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 its effects because they did not know the contents of such DVDs.

They thought that Japanese anime was another type of children's cartoon, he said.

"Some of the anime features scantily-clad women or scenes which are not good for children.

"We have banned a lot of Japanese anime. Although it is said to be animation suitable for children, it is actually more appropriate for adults," he said after a dialogue with the secretary of the Kelantan branch of the Film Censorship Control and Enforce ment Division here yesterday.

The session was the first held by the board in the state, which was also attended by representatives from the Kelantan Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Office, 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 risque 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 vet the contents of the animation before allowing their children to view them.