Chunini

Chunini, or Chu, is the member of the Romama Platoon, specializing in combat, currently living in Seoul, South Korea. She is a former Sergeant for the Keron Army.

Early Life
Chunini was the first-born daughter of Gumimi, a high-ranking Keronian soldier, and Junene, a highly-educated stay at home mother. From her early years she could sense a tension in her family, and this mainly stemmed from Gumimi and his lack of any affection towards either his children or wife, and Junene and her finding a lack of fulfillment in life. While appearing normal on the outside, behind closed doors it was easy to see her parents' marriage was a loveless one. Her younger sister, Kodada, was born much later than Chunini, and even with their age gap, a close bond formed between the sisters. In somewhat of a role reversal, Chunini would grow to look up to Kodada, and Kodada would find herself needing to protect Chunini.

Chunini never felt any connection with boys in her class while many other girls her age did, and her first crush came in her mid-teens, in the form of an older female lounge singer, Eriri. Chunini had grown a fondness toward music at this point, and after a meeting with Eriri, she worked hard to turn her gift into a skill, eventually mastering vocal tone and pitch change with ease.

She had a meeting with Eriri years later, and began to work with the singer, often taking the male lead in duets. Although it was kept hidden to many (including Chunini's family), the relationship between the two soon blossomed, changing from student and teacher and into something much more. Upon finding out about this, as well as about his daughter's singing career, Gumimi disowned Chunini. At this point, Chunini stopped using the same symbol as Kodada, and instead switched to Eriri's symbol, a star within a star.

Military Career
Upon Kodada's decision to join the military, Chunini decided to follow her sister's steps, joining in order to be close to the sister she'd lost in leaving her family once again. She attained the level of gunso, ultimately, putting her voice to use as a weapon that could disorient enemies, haywire sensitive equipment, or even shatter glass on other ships.

Pekopon
Chunini woke up, seperated from the rest of the platoon, in late 1980's South Korea. She traveled for a time, hiding and quietly getting to know the people, language, and culture from afar. During this time she took up drawing in order to alievate boredom, and upon discovering she could blend in with the use of her crest's shield, she made a new, human identity, in the form of the singer Chu, a bubbly, happy woman whose age and past is a mystery. Chunini quickly shot up to the top and found herself in need of an agent. She found one in the form of Min Jee Lee, a young Seoul native with a knack for business and a love of weaponry. Unbeknownst to Lee, this was not their first meeting, Chunini having helped a much younger Lee when she lost her mother in a festival crowd.

Lee is very protective of Chunini, following her everywhere and living with her. While Chunini's main current place of operation is a condo in Seoul, she owns several other properties, including a large beach house in Hawaii. In spite of this, she still often crashes at the Hinata household, and more specifically, Keroro and company's base, often to "steal the cable and raid the fridge". This is at the irk of Giroro, who is angered by her "using the base as her own private hotel", whlie Kururu, who has a devious friendship with Chunini, allows for it to go on, supposedly for his own amusement at Chunini's terrorizing the other platoon members. Chunini's popularity is only eclipsed by fellow alien singer Sumomo, and the very mention of this can cause Chunini to break out into an uncontrolled rage. Chunini writes a majority of her own songs, and in between this, still finds time to have a popular (but secretive) following as a doujin artist. Another one of her past times includes collecting tea sets.

Chunini's relationship with Kodada has changed drastically from the time when both lived on Keron. She attempts to distance herself to allow Kodada a chance at a normal Pekoponian life, but at the same time often finds herself in need of her sister. The relationship now is bittersweet at most, Chunini quietly longing for her sister and some sort of family while doing her best to allow her sister to live in peace. She often allows Lee to fill in as her new family, becoming very dependent on the bodyguard/manager.

Orientation
Although it has never been said outright in any of the stories, it has been brought up numerous times in the story that Chunini is a lesbian. This is shown through her relationship with Eriri and her early-on dislike for men. This has also come out in her semi-flitateous relationship with Min Jee Lee and her lack of any romantic feelings towards any male characters, including her friend, Kururu.

Personality
Chunini has an incredibly complex personality, with several different facets, depending on what company she keeps. To her fans, she is upbeat, cheerful, and kind, and indeed, she shows genuine kindness to her supportive fans.

To those who know her, there are several other personalities Chunini switches from. To most offstage, she comes off as cold and some times even catty, saying purposefully backhanded statements. While rarely losing her cool, she has a clear trickster streak, even when her jokes are at the expense of others. This helps to forge her friendship with Kururu.

There are a select few who know the third and most sincere version of Chunini's personality, and this is a somewhat depressed and insecure woman but one who genuinely cares for the few she allows in her circle. There is some speculation that the other two personalities that Chunini possesses act as shields to protect this innermost, sensitive version of herself. Lee, Eriri, and Kodada are the only ones to ever see or have seen this version of Chunini.

Much of the level and complexity Chunini's pranking and cold behavior may also stem from frustration of not being able to express her third and innermost personality more often.

Speech
While using 'atashi' to fit her cheerful, bubbly star persona, she uses 'watashi' for her regular, 'unpleasant' self.

Appearance
Chunini is an average height, average weigth Keronian female. She has light-yellow colored skin, and orange, almond-shaped eyes. Her symbol is a red star within a pink star, although earlier in her life, it was the same symbol as Kodada. Instead of wearing her crest on her helmet, she wears it on a pink choker about her neck. Her light blue helmet has two buns, one on either side, that are tied by ribbons. These ribbons vary in color but most often times they are shown as being orange.

Her Pekoponian form keeps a hairstyle similar to her helmet, and her haircolor is the same as her helmet color (light blue). Her eyes remain orange in her Pekoponian form. She has a short and thin body type in this form, with the physical appearance of being of Korean descent. Her outfits vary, but often are variations of fashionable orange and yellow dresses.

Abilities
Chunini has the ability to manipulate her voice into most any other voice she hears, allowing her a wide range of impressions. She can even successfully mimic male characters' voices, as seen when she pretends to be Dororo in order to disturb Lupapa. This also proved helpful early in her career, when she would be cast opposite singing with Eriri, often singing the male portions of duets in a young man's voice.

Chunini's main weapon, a mace-like voice projector, helps her use her voice-related power in battle. She has the ability to change her voice that, when intensified, can cause disorientation and even damage to glass and sonar systems in battle.

Other than this, Chunini is also a semi-successful artist, keeping this talent only as a side hobby.

Gumimi
Gumimi and Chunini have the most complex relationship out of the small family, Gumimi acting coldly toward Chunini and Chunini returned with equal cold and bitterness. Gumimi makes no secret of being disgusted by his daughter's choices in life, but secretly, this stems from jealousy on Gumimi's part, on Chunini having the courage to live her life as he wishes he could. They leave on bad terms, although by the end of "The Past Has a Pass, Too", Gumimi is shown to have a bit of quiet remorse for his actions.

Junene
Chunini thinks her mother a clueless fool to have married her father, either not realizing or failing to recognize her mother's true intelligence. She sees her mother as weak for not leaving Gumimi and putting up with him, and is disgusted by her mother's attempts to retain family peace.

Kodada
Chunini is by far closest to Kodada, and Kodada is shown to have a very close relationship with Chunini in return. Kodada often acts as Chunini's protector, defending her sister's lifestyle and career (even to the point of Kodada going against Gumimi and blackmailing him out of harming her sister any longer). Chunini tries her best to keep her distance from Kodada in present Pekopon, while still keeping lines open for Kodada to contact her. This is due to Chunini wanting to allow Kodada as normal a life as possible.

Eriri
Eriri was a female performer on Old Keron who at first served as Chunini's mentor, but later became much more to the younger woman. Although it is never said outright, it is heavily implied that Chunini, for a time, has a romantic relationship with Eriri, even going as far as taking on her symbol and moving in with her. Chunini and Eriri also worked as a singing team in local establishments around Old Keron, Chunini some times posing as a boy for duets.

Their relationship suffers briefly when Chunini decides to join the Keron military, although Eriri comes around to accept this and even say goodbye to her before Chunini's flight to Pekopon. It is hinted at the end of The Past Has a Past, Too, that Chunini's mother is ready to set up a relationship with Eriri, although Gumimi, Chunini's father, is more hesitant to do so.

Lee Min Jee
Min Jee Lee, or just "Lee", as she's often referred to, acts as Chunini's closest current confidante, and Chunini has also shown great fondness for Lee in return. Lee is often the only one to put up with the pampered Chunini's demands without a second thought, catering to nearly every need of the singer's. She is the only one who can calm Chunini down during a tantrum, as well as the only one who can put up wtih the depressive slumps Chunini falls into during an artistic block. In return, Lee is one of the few people Chunini shows her true feelings towards, along with Kodada, and Chunini holds Lee with a high level of respect.

Lee is incredibly protective of Chunini, coming to the rescue of her boss numerous times. Even with this, Lee attempts her best not to coddle Chunini, although this usually ends in failure on Lee's part. It is unknown exactly how deep their relationship goes, or if it is romantic in nature, although Lee has hinted at having a crush on Chunini and is shown to be jealous of other women Chunini takes interest in. Chunini has returned by often speaking to Lee in an almost playful flirting manner at times, although it is unknown now much of this flirting Chunini actually means.

Sergeant Major Kururu
Chunini considers Kururu a "partner in wickedness". The two share a friendship based on a love of music and a love of the manipulation of others around them. It was at first thought by some that their relationship was one of romantic interest, but this theory was settled once it was eventually discovered Chunini held no interest in a relationship with a man.

Trivia

 * Main inspiration for Chunini was drawn from Go Nagai's Cutey Honey, Fujiko Mine from Lupin III, and Shuichi Shindo from Gravitation.
 * Her physical appearance in human form is loosely based on K-Pop singer Ayumi Lee.
 * Hobbies of Chunini, outside of writing and singing, include collecting tea sets. She also shows proficieny as an artist, drawing doujin under another penname. It has been revealed that Lupapa is amongst her readers.
 * Chunini is extremely claustrophobic.