G-3: The Swan - Shiratori no Jun

 

About two years younger than Ken and Joe, Jun is an orphan. She took Jinpei under her proverbial wing (oops, pun!) when he was young, and the two of them have a sibling relationship that is often played for comic relief, especially in Jun's cafe, the Snack J. Jun is the primary wirehead of the group, fixing technological problems and planting yo-yo bombs in Galactor bases.

She watches out for the others on the team, often playing both mother and sister to her male cohorts. Her need to care for the others and bind the team together as a family are particularly obvious in two parts of the story: When Ken loses his father and focuses on his need for revenge, and when Joe can no longer hide his problems from his friends. The only time she really stands up to Ken is when he's being reckless or stupid and Joe isn't there to do it for her, and Ken slaps her more than once. The team often congregates at the Snack J in their free time (where Ken never pays his tab—maybe she should slap him back?).

She doesn't run off to save the world on her own as often as Joe, and she doesn't end up going solo as often as Ken does, but she's more than capable of taking care of herself in a pinch. She's tough and smart, and although killing is distasteful to her, she does it, and at times she does it with enthusiasm.

Through a modern viewer's eyes, she is too stereotypically female, but modern translations have tried to remedy this to the extent that they can through dialogue. Princess, Jun's BotP counterpart, is a technological genius and codebreaker. She plays the traditional female role of managing the team's emotional state, and managing her friend Jill's restaurant.

Love Life

Gatchaman I hints so subtly at an interest between her and Ken it might not even be there. Only after the dying Joe tells her and Ken to get a life together does she finally say something to Ken. In the second series, we catch her eyeing Joe more than once, as if she's developing an interest in him (probably in the name of fanservice).

We also see at least one episode that indicates prior romantic relationships, and she likes to disco dance (ah, the 70s) and play the guitar.

Voices for G-3

Gatchaman Sugiyama Kazuko
ADV Gatchaman dubs Kimberly Prause

Battle of the Planets Janet Waldo
G-Force Barbara Goodson
Eagle Riders Heidi Lenhart

OVAs Michiko Neya
OVA English dubs Lara Cody