Names and Respect
Ever get really annoyed because the dub reversed someone's name? Ever feel like you're missing something important in a strict direct translation? You might be! Names are a major aspect of Japanese culture that can confuse us western nations. You see, we call everyone by their first name - unless they are an authority figure, in which case we simply call them Mr./Miss/Mrs. and their last name. And occasionally we call people by a job title such as Dr. or Pastor/Priest something like that. We have three basic categories of respect: job title, authority, and everyone else.
In Japan there are many more levels of respect/relationships and each is shown through the way they are addressed. For example, a teacher is not Mr. Terada, he is Terada-sensei, sensei meaning teacher. A person is addressed differently depending upon their relationship to you, and even how long you have known them. School mates or colleagues are nearly always addressed by their family name (which, in Asian cultures is written first, not last like Western names). So, here is a rough list of degrees of relationship. The following are common suffixes (added to the end of names):
Sama - Lord, Lady, generally someone of higher social status, but can also be used to indicate very high respect. San - near as I can tell a term of general respect, like Mr. or Mrs. in English. Used for anyone you do not know well and also used for parents or people in authority who do not possess some other title. Can be used with a family or, very rarely, given (in western nations first) name. Generally used with someone older. Kun - can be used with a family name or a given name. It is used for males who are more than acquaintances; if attached to a given name indicates friendship of any degree. Chan - can be used with a family name or a given name. It is used for females who are more than acquaintances; if attached to a given name indicates friendship of any degree.
There are also position specific suffixes such as sensei, but I do not know them all.
If one has no relationship with the addressed party, and no need to show respect, which happens very rarely, the addressed party is simply addressed by family name. This is common in dubs, but very rare in actual Asian culture. I believe, however, that it is acceptable for school age children to address each other by last name alone as I have yet to discover a general suffix that relates to peers. (Remember, San is for older people). SO someone in your grade could be addressed by last name alone if you hardly know them.
The first, or given, name is almost never used on its own. To do so indicates a very, very close relationship, such as a parent and child, or a husband and wife. Most dubs cut out suffixes entirely which is generally not a problem. However, there are a few instances where we lose a significant part of a changing relationship because of the absence (not that most westerners know would recognize the significance anyway).
The easiest example to give is found in CardCaptors. In the dub everyone is generally referred to by first name (though Meilin very occasionally refers to Sakura by her last name). From the very beginning Sakura addresses Li as Li (his first name in the dub) and he addresses her as Sakura. However, in the original Japanese they start out addressing one another by last name. They then add the suffixes kun and chan to the last names, indicating some familiarity. When Sakura first calls Li "Syaoran-kun" (his given name in the original series) it is a big deal to him (and the viewer) it means that she now considers him a true friend. It takes him much longer to reciprocate. When Li declares his love for Sakura he crosses the final line and addresses her by her given name alone. To Sakura, and the Japanese viewer, this is almost as important as saying that he loves her. To drop suffixes altogether indicates a high level of intimacy (not physically necessarily). Li is effectively saying that he views her as his girlfriend and potential wife.