As I was translating Hana Kimi 05, it became clear that some things just can't be properly translated, and a post to explain would be better. So here is a very short post detailing some of the common gender-speech terms found in episode 05~06 in particular, and the entire drama in general.
"I"
In Japanese, there are several words used to say "I."
"Watashi" is either polite or feminine - ie, a man might use it in a more formal situation, but a teenage guy will probably never use it. It's the most common "I" used by teenage girls.
"Boku" - a more assertive/ less polite / more masculine form of I. Used by men, boys, and sometimes tomboyish girls.
"Ore" - much more assertive, more arrogant, more masculine. Can be considered rude if used in a polite situation, when speaking to someone much older/ above you, etc. Used mostly by teenage guys.
----Ashiya generally uses "Ore," even when some of the guys use "Boku" - she's kinda over-compensating, trying to be super masculine to cover up that she's a girl. When Makita, who assumes she's a girl, hears her say "Ore," he thinks she's being tomboyish or something and thinks it's cute.
Terms of address
I haven't translated these in the drama so far. Most of you might know them, but if not....
Not usesing a term at all (ie, saying just the person's name) is either 1. intimate/casual (close friends, dating, etc) or 2. rude (towards someone you don't know, or don't like, etc.)
-san : basic. polite. Default.
- sama: very polite
- kun: There are a lot of exceptions, but mostly used towards younger guys. Namba's mom uses "kun" towards the guys working for her.
-chan: Lots of exceptions, but generally used towards younger girls. Also a closer/ more intimate term than -san. When Makita uses it towards Mizuki, there are 2 immediate possible assumptions: 1. He sees Mizuki as a much younger guy and/or a girly guy, 2. He thinks Mizuki is a girl. So while a lot of the dorm didn't really take notice, Sano picked up on it immediately.
-sempai: An older classmate / co-worker / etc.
