With anime these days, it’s always “lolicon this” or “high school that,” and amidst all this focus on youth I began to wonder if a certain segment of the population was feeling that anime provided nothing for them. I am of course referring to people who like their women with not just a little bit of experience, but a lot. I want to tell those guys who dig the really mature that anime has something to offer to them, even if it seems daunting otherwise.
Now I don’t partake in this particular preference, so I can’t tell you for sure whether or not they do the job, but I have set up a few criteria in compiling this list.
First, the women here have to look aged. There’s quite a few elderly female characters out there who never age past 35, and so hardly count as GMILFs. In fact, their appeal is no different from just plain MILFs. So in this respect, characters like Tsunade (Naruto), Kazami Hatsuho (Onegai Teacher), and Milia Jenius (Macross 7) do not count, even if Milia is actually a grandmother.
For that matter, second, they do not have to have grandchildren to qualify as GMILFs.
Third, the characters for the most part tend to be quite physically fit. I figure part of the issue is that a lot of times cartoons, be they anime or anywhere else in the world, tend to portray the elderly as comically old and decrepit and having seen better days. This is probably appealing to only a few, and so have chosen characters where age is not a barrier to active living.
Fourth, this isn’t really criteria but a lot of them are teachers or are in some kind of teaching profession. Don’t ask me, that’s just how it turned out.
So without further ado, your GMILFs.
Maria Graceburt, My-Otome
More commonly known as “Miss Maria,” Maria Graceburt is a teacher and advisor at Garderobe Academy where she trains her all-female students to become “Otome,” or nano-machine-enhanced super-powered royal bodyguards. Once an Otome herself, Maria has much experience in this regard, and has been tempered by her years in battle. Despite her old age, she is still capable of keeping up with the younger generations. She almost has to be seen to be believed.
Barbara McGregor, Taisho Baseball Girls
It’s the 1920s and Japan is at the height of the Taisho Era, where western influence is making in-roads into the society. Barbara McGregor is the principal at Touhou Seika Girls’ Secondary School, a school that prepares young girls to embrace both Eastern and Western influences and lead them to a wholesome mentality. When she finds out that a group of girls at Touhou Seika have decided to form a baseball team, she supports the endeavor but with a stern warning that it is not to affect their grades, or else. Calm and steadfast, Barbara sees progress in the future of womanhood.
Yukimura Tokiko, Kekkaishi
Tasked with protecting Karasumori, a land which bestows great power upon spirits and demons, Yukimura Tokiko is the 21st “Kekkaishi” or “Barrier Master” of the Yukimura clan. In addition, she trains her granddaughter Yukimura Tokine in the art of Kekkai while also maintaining a rivalry with the head of the Sumimura Clan, fellow Kekkai users with whom the Yukimura clan split generations ago. Although quite old, Tokiko has vitality greater than her talented granddaughter, and is actually currently the strongest Kekkai user known.
Tamashiro Miwa, Koutetsushin Jeeg
In her younger days, Tamashiro Miwa, then known as Uzuki Miwa, was a skilled pilot who supported the cyborg hero Koutetsu Jeeg and the “Build Base” in their fight against the evil Jama Empire by piloting the supply ship known as the “Big Shooter.” 50 years later, when the Jama Empire resurfaces and her granddaughter Tsubaki becomes the pilot of a new Big Shooter for a new Jeeg, Tsubaki becomes the new commander of Build Base, lending her experience in combat against the Jama Empire for a new generation. Though she now sits behind a desk instead of a cockpit, it is apparent that age has only made Miwa stronger and more determined than ever.
Toudou Kaworu, Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu
Toudou Kaworu is a visionary who seeks to transform education in Japan, and has implemented an exclusive revolutionary method of organizing students. As principal of Fumizuki Academy, Kaworu ranks students from A to F, with the A students at the top receiving the best supplies and the best teachers, while those at the bottom must claw their way up if they want to improve. To facilitate this Darwinian education system, Kaworu allows students to engage in holographic “battles,” where summoned avatars engage in combat and have strength proportionate to their grades and overall academic achievements. A cheerful, if mysterious woman, Toudou Kaworu challenges the conventional.
So there you have it, five women who have experience on their side and are capable of appealing to those who are tired of seeing nothing but young girls in their Japanese animation. Keep in mind that this is only a brief list; there’s more out there. If you’ve got any suggestions, speak up!
