Youka Nitta
Honorifics, Iwaki&Katou's relationship and Mochimune... 
25th-Jul-2009 09:21 pm
A bit about honorifics in Haru vol. 10&11... In 11, ch. 1 there is a lot of Onozuka-Miyasaka-Iwaki-Katou action, and the use of honorifics says quite a lot about their relationships at this point.
First of all, this made me rethink the relationship between Iwaki and Katou. We have assumed that it is Iwaki who holds back, mainly based on the fact that Katou and he have had a discussion about given names, and when to use them. But if we look at how Iwaki and Katou address each other and how they speak about each other to other people, it is clear that Iwaki's relationship with Katou is more... intimate than we think - he is not holding back. No, it is actually Katou who might be the one who (inadvertently, perhaps) who have set the up barrier which prevents that the family names are put away. It is Katou, after all, who tells Iwaki that he'll reward him by calling him Kyousuke at the Golden anniversary whereas Iwaki wants call Katou Yousuke already at their Silver ann. :D

Here is why: Iwaki always - always - adresses Katou with no honorific. He speaks of him in the same way, thus signaling that their relationship is a deep and intimate one. Katou, on the other hand always uses the respectful -san, both when he speaks with Iwaki, and when he speaks of him. -San is of course a vastly more intimate address than "Mr" - which can in no way be compared to -san. This sets up an invisible barrier - it is one of respect and care, but a barrier nevertheless.

Now, on to Miyasaka and Onozuka. It is obvious that the two fools young men are casual with honorifics. They call each other -kun, and Onozuka makes a small distinction (maybe because he's the brain) and calls Miyasaka Miya-chan as often as -kun. -Chan is of course a loving address, between very good friends, more intimate than -kun. It happens often, especially if they're angry at each other, that the honorifics are dropped. The same goes for the their respectful language when it comes to Katou. Miyasaka and Onozuka also speaks of Katou without the -kun, just as Katou addresses the both of them with or without the -kun added. Katou, on the other hand, is angry when he thinks Onozuka dares call Iwaki Nii-san (in ch 2/36).

It should be noted that honorifics are never used when a worker from one company speaks of a colleague to others. This is a part of the humble language (keigo): one never raises up one's own company by using honorifics added to co-workers' names. I don't think this has anything to do with the three friends here, but it is worth remembering.

On an entirely different note... Mochimune... his name seems to be written with two non-touyou kanji, which means that they are not on the government-approved list of approximately 2,000 kanji that one needs to know to read modern Japanese (I suck at kanji, so I might be wrong here). However, the name Mochimune *is* an old high-ranking bushi (daimyo, shogun, shogunate administrators-all warrior nobles) name from the time that only 20% of the Japanese (namely the noble and the bushi - the samurai) were allowed family names. Might explain his immense arrogance. *loves on him*
Comments 
25th-Jul-2009 11:00 pm
However, the name Mochimune *is* an old high-ranking bushi

...Have we discussed slashing Mochimune/Lucius yet? And if not, what is wrong with us? ;-)

*smooches, saves post, hauls self back to beta-test of doom (2.5 hours of notes for 18 minutes of courseware so far. Which leaves 42 minutes -- it's gonna be a long night, gah)*
25th-Jul-2009 11:37 pm
Lucius/Mochi? I think in my case what's wrong is that I can't see Lucius with anyone but Severus, but then again they are my OTP. Apart from that, they're too alike and would probably end up fighting over Sevvie anyway. *grins*

And there is nothing wrong with us, apart from a vivid imagination. :D

Urgh! Beta testing sounds exhausting. Wanna swap with partying neighbours? I hope they are going to stop soon because I need sleep! Anyway, work hard and all that Japanese crap. :P

(And I have used all day nurturing the most delicious Yoshizumi-plot-bunny in honour of the naming of my new XP laptop, now called Yoshizumi (no-nonsense, non-fancy, fast, capable and reliable).
27th-Jul-2009 02:06 am
Beta-testing actually suits my personality very well (I mean, I get paid to nitpick! Hee!). Just not on an Oxycodn/insomnia hangover, which was yesterday, or two hours sleep, which was today. And I have the partying neighbors tonight, with the bad Beatles karaoke. Never a potato shooter around when you need one...

And I have used all day nurturing the most delicious Yoshizumi-plot-bunny in honour of the naming of my new XP laptop, now called Yoshizumi

I don't even know where to begin with the glee with this one. =-D

no-nonsense, non-fancy, fast, capable and reliable).

...and guaranteed to preserve your most precious files even under threat of fire, hm? :-)
27th-Jul-2009 04:29 am
Argh! Beta testing without being really awake? *pets*
My thoughts are with you. All partying neighbours should die in a fire (located only to their flat, obviously) or otherwise painfully. Beatles??? Don't people have taste?

Hehehe... I thought you might like that. XP laptop is of course backed up by my trusty external HD, Masahiko. :D He won't be in the story I think of, and I do have to write that. Somehow I feel like couple-breaking - mostly because I think the story's going to be interesting, but also a bit because I am actually getting tired of Iwaki/Katou. Even in canon. A bit. (Nah, I love them, but they're sort of becoming the Snarry of YN, and... no.)
27th-Jul-2009 04:41 pm
Oh, I was awake. That's what gut-loofah organic instant coffee is for. *dour smile* And now I'm going to steal a two-hour nap in the middle of the day, because the next batch of code isn't uploaded yet... (my cell phone doubles as my alarm clock, so they can call me if they need me before 1445h)

they're sort of becoming the Snarry of YN

*nearly spews good tea across sofa*

Lemme guess - you went on a badfic binge as soon as you were done with that thesis? Sheesh.

But seriously, yeah, as long as it makes an interesting story. And I am amused at HD=Masahiko. Not to mention all the cheap insertion/plug/exchange of bits of self jokes one could make since you have to hook him up with your Yoshizumi now and then... ;-)

*sleepy headbutt, pads toward bed*
26th-Jul-2009 12:33 am
Awesome--"Miya-chan" is canon! That makes me happy. ^_^

Interesting observations...so they do use "kun" with each other sometimes, but are pretty casual about it, and often drop the honorifics. That sounds about right for a group of young men who are both friends and colleagues. Also interesting that Onozuka sometimes addresses Miyasaka with the affectionate "chan" diminutive.

Your observation about Iwaki and Katou's relationship is also interesting. It did seem odd to me, as an American, that Katou still addresses Iwaki by both family name and "san" even after they're married. I'm no expert on Japanese culture, but from watching J-dramas, it seems like spouses do commonly use each other's first names after marriage, and/or the wives will address the husband as "anata" (literally "you," but in the case of a married couple, it seems to be more-or-less equivalent to the way that a wife will address her husband as "dear" in English).

It actually reminds me of the Kimagure Orange Road series. Throughout the TV series and following OVA series and first movie, the two main love interests address each other by their last names--they like each other, but are kept apart because the girl's best friend is also in love with the guy, and they are reluctant to hurt her and break up the friendship that the three of them share. After they finally get together and are about to make love for the first time in the second movie, they make a conscious decision to start calling each other by their first names, indicating emotional as well as physical intimacy. I just wonder what it's going to take to have Katou take down that final barrier--surely he's not really going to wait 50 years to address Iwaki as "Kyousuke"! (At least, I hope not!)

And this is completely unrelated, but I was watching a mystery J-drama on TV the other night, a detective story in which two of the suspects turn out to be members of the Iwaki-gumi (meaning, the Iwaki yakuza family)! I don't know if they just made up the name for the show, or if there is a real-life Iwaki crime family--a casual web search didn't turn up any references. But I thought that it was pretty funny, considering Snapelike's half-joking theory that Iwaki's father is the head of a yakuza clan! ^_^ (The show took place in Tokyo, not Niigata, but maybe the family is large enough to have branches across the country?)
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