95495
1st episode of new anime adaptation of light novel series My Stepmom's
Daughter Is My Ex aka Mamahaha no Tsurego ga Motokano datta:

* * *

Yume Ayai and Mizuto Irido have recently become step-siblings. Before they
were step-siblings they used to date. It seems they broke up at least 1 year
before becoming step-siblings.

In the very 1st scene, we see that Yume calls Mizuto as Mizuko-kun and Mizuto
calls Yume as
Yume-[san](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/95318/how-relevant-is-
gender-in-comparing-last-name-kun-chan-compare-to-1st-name-san).

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P1P6b.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P1P6b.jpg)

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1thtc.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1thtc.jpg)

Later, they play [Kaguya-
sama](https://anime.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/4509/is-it-ok-to-
overanalyze-an-anime/4513#4513)-like games with each other to try to trick the
other into not acting as normal siblings. They manage to trick each other at
least once each. Now, also once each, when 1 of them gets tricked, they call
each other by last name: Irido-kun, Ayai.

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YPXba.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YPXba.jpg)

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WPtfU.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WPtfU.png)

(Ignoring the issue of the presence/absence/choice of honorific...I'll just
pretend for now it's the same as 'Himuro (no honorific)' and 'Yukimura-kun' in
[Science Fell](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/94180/translation-
of-rikei-ga-koi-ni-ochita-no-de-sh%C5%8Dmei-shite-mita-is-science-fell)...)

**Question** : What's the idea here? Is it like, Idk, 'simulating' when they
1st started to have a crush on each other and thus weren't so familiar with
each other and so as part of the simulation they would call each other how
they initially called each other then?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-15T01:27:44.680
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2023-01-22T12:53:51.493
2023-01-22T12:53:51.493
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question
politeness honorifics anime light-novel
Motokano S01E01: Why when being romantically affectionate do these ex-romantic partner step-siblings call each other by last name?
From TheDarkAngel135790 in
[here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MamahahaTsurego/comments/w3ruhy/comment/igzod0l/?context=3):

> Yea, it's something like that.
>
> They started calling each other by their given names because it's normal for
> siblings to do that. To them, it was sign that they have gotten over their
> relationship and now consider each other step siblings.
>
> But when they were actually dating, they never mustered up the courage to
> call them with their given names. So they at that time called each other
> Irido-kun and Ayai-san.
>
> But in this scene (which i presume is the scene where Mizuto pushes down
> Yume) Mizuto is all but ready to throw away his identity of a step sibling
> and revert back to his previous relationship with Yume. That's why he
> whispers in her ear "Ayai" which can be seen as a sign that he is no longer
> acknowledging her as his step sister but rather, his ex girlfriend. Yume
> also ends up calling him "Irido-kun" going with the flow, and also showing
> she is willing to accept Mizuto's advances
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-22T15:35:08.970
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answer