It’s A Survival Trait?

I noted this in the comments over at SDB’s, but wanted to add the pictures here to make the point. I’m watching Outlaw Star, which I originally saw on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim a number of years ago. I really liked it at the time, though now I’m sort of wondering why. Maybe because my animé pickings were really thin back then, I dunno. The show is very silly, but not in a parody/funny since, just silly in that it doesn’t care how unrealistic it is. Ships that close to contact range and fight with grappling arms? Be serious.

Anyway, the girl on the left below is Melfina. She’s a unique extremely humanistic android built with the combined technology of the Kei Pirates (themselves a galactic power) and Space Patrol. For whatever reason (try “because the show would have sucked without her”), she was designed for two purposes, the first (ability to pilot a small ship known as the XGP-15) being in support of the second, which was to find the macguffin on which the series conflict was hung, a.k.a. “The Galactic Leyline.”


Please note her flat-as-a-washboard chest — those suspenders are straight lines. As a bridge bunny, she’s sadly lacking.

Mother nature often uses camouflage or chameleon-like abilities to keep her creatures out of trouble. An insect might look like the twigs it is normally found on. An fish might be colored so that it’s tail appears to be its head. A lizard might be able to alter its colors to match the background. All of these things have two aspects in common: They’re designed to fool the attacker through appearance and if the attacker decides to carry through with an attack, they’re useless.

Apparently Melfina’s designers hit upon the idea of using similar camouflage to hide her abilities. No one would expect the computer pilot of an illegally-built super-ship to look like a pretty girl. However, they didn’t stop there. Instead, they decided to decided to go mother nature one better, and equip her with a chameleon-like ability that would be useful after an attack began. At least, that’s the only explanation I can think of for these pictures of Melfina in danger:




Somebody come rescue me — I’m attractive!

Well, if you can think of a better explanation…

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2 Responses to It’s A Survival Trait?

  1. They MUST be a survival trait. Most of the other primates (though not the COOL ones) don’t have breasts, so we obviously developed these because, when Oog was painting bison kills on his cave wall, and Ahga came along and, well, said “Hey there artist boy, wanna do some rescuing?” (Jiggle)

    (Several moments later) Um, hello? I think I had a point when I came here–there’s a “Submit Comment” buton after all…

  2. melfina says:

    I really like the anime it’s funny I really like Gene being all caring and gentleman towards Melfina doesn’t anyone else? I got a question. What makes an Outlaw an Outlaw? There’s so many reasons to be an Outlaw. Here’s a quote by Hot Ice Hilda: To stay is death to go is death.

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