LearnWithSubs

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3

This episode collects 13 dialogue scenes: family chatter, small talk between pharmacy colleagues, checking medicines at a pharmacy and reporting the result in standard polite language, friends working out how to break bad news, an angry phone call (a stretch of pure profanity: understand it, don't imitate it), and a counter clerk explaining the rules. The main focus is the keigo used at the pharmacy and the counter, plus casual spoken patterns like 「〜じゃん」 and 「〜なくない？」.

Language highlights

  • 「〜じゃん？」(a casual tag asking for agreement, "right?")
  • 「〜なくない？」(a double-negative rhetorical question, "isn't it...?")
  • 「〜ておりました」(the formal-humble form of 〜ていました)
  • 「おっしゃる通り」("just as you say")
  • 「お亡くなりになる」(the honorific way to say someone dies)

Scenes on this page

  1. At home: how long will Dad's walking habit last?

    Scene 1 · 0:22

    Expressions: 〜んじゃないかな, せめて, 〜って（引用の言い切り）

  2. Workplace observation: the senior who never unlocks the door Single line

    Scene 2 · 0:29

    Expressions: 決して〜ず, 〜のに（逆接）, 気持ち悪い

  3. Pharmacy chat: lab coats should be black

    Scene 3 · 0:29

    Expressions: 〜じゃん？ ／ 〜なくない？, 屁理屈という会話の型, 〜ようにする

  4. Grandpa's medicine: these two can't be taken together

    Scene 4 · 0:22

    Expressions: 〜ないでおく, 〜はずなんだよね, 〜てくれてんだから

  5. At the pharmacy: the check results are in

    Scene 5 · 0:24

    Expressions: 〜ておりました, おっしゃる通り, 〜したところ

  6. The sparkler thing: this time I told the staff

    Scene 6 · 0:26

    Expressions: 〜しといた, 〜だからであって、決して〜じゃない, 余計

  7. News about Mari: let me guess

    Scene 7 · 0:25

    Expressions: にしても, 雲の上の存在, 当たる／当てる

  8. Three types of affair reactions: which is she?

    Scene 8 · 0:22

    Expressions: 開き直る, におわせる, 〜パターンね

  9. Rehearsal: she agrees too easily to practice on

    Scene 9 · 0:20

    Expressions: 〜てくんない？, 〜にならない, 正論

  10. Rena's phone call: a lesson in rough language

    Scene 10 · 0:22

    Expressions: 「〜」じゃねえよ, よくも〜してくれたな, ぞんざいな二人称と罵り語

  11. Afterlife reception: what is a basic lifespan?

    Scene 11 · 0:29

    Expressions: お亡くなりになる, 〜というものがある, 〜ですと ／ 〜んですけども

  12. Afterlife reception: how the odds of death are spread

    Scene 12 · 0:27

    Expressions: 〜方もいらっしゃれば、〜方もいらっしゃる, 〜といった, 振り分ける（受身）

  13. Afterlife reception: how many times can I redo it?

    Scene 13 · 0:30

    Expressions: 〜が利く, 〜ですよね？（確認の否定疑問）, 〜によって決まっている

Speed
All scenes

At home: how long will Dad's walking habit last?

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 At home: how long will Dad's walking habit last? still

Asami, Haruka and their mother are betting on how long Dad will keep up his new walking routine. He has just come back from his first walk and overhears them on his way to the shower.
  1. 麻美／遥

    So, two weeks? / No wait, ten days, right?

  2. 久美子／遥

    Come on, he'll last at least a month. / No way... a month is not happening.

  3. 久美子／寛

    You think not? / Um, excuse me.

  4. 寛

    You know,

  5. 寛

    you're normally supposed to talk about this kind of thing when the person isn't around, aren't you?

  6. 寛

    Couldn't you at least have waited until I'd gone to take a shower?

Speaking notes

〜んじゃないかな

a soft, indirect way to voice a real complaint

「本人いないところで話すんじゃないかな」 = "You're supposed to talk about this when the person isn't around, aren't you?"
⚠ It is phrased as a musing question, but it is really a protest.
Dad heard everything and is clearly annoyed, yet he doesn't use a blunt line like 「話すべきだろ」. He wraps it in 「〜んじゃないかな」.
In Japanese, the more upset someone is, the softer the sentence pattern often gets, because softening leaves both sides a way out.
The sting of this line comes precisely from its politeness.
The same point at different levels of directness:
• 話すべきだろ ("You should talk about it behind someone's back, right?" = direct accusation)
• 話すもんじゃない？ ("Isn't that how it's done?")
• 話すんじゃないかな ("I'd have thought you'd... maybe...?")

せめて

the lowest bar: 'I won't ask for more than this'

「せめて」 = "at least"
It means "I won't dare hope for more, so I'll settle for this," and what follows is always a lowered, minimum demand.
⚠ It appears twice in this scene, from two opposite stances:
• Mother: 「せめて１か月はやるでしょ」 ("He'll surely last a month at least") → propping up Dad's reputation
• Dad: 「せめてシャワー行くまで待てなかったかな」 ("Couldn't you at least have waited until I'd left?") → a protest that has retreated as far as it can
Same word: one person is pushing the bar up, the other is pulling it down.
Related words: 少なくとも (at least; more objective), 最低でも (at the very minimum), いくらなんでも (even so; no matter what).

〜って（引用の言い切り）

not a quotation here, just an insistent 'I'm telling you'

「１か月はないって」 = "I'm telling you, it's not going to last a month."
⚠ Here the sentence-final 「って」 is not quoting someone else; it strengthens the speaker's own assertion, roughly "I said so, and that's that."
It carries a bit of impatience and an "isn't it obvious?" feel, and is used between people who are close.
Three very common uses of 「って」:
• Quotation: 「行く」って言ってた (He said he's going.)
• Topic marker: 不倫って, 結婚と違って (Episode 6, scene 14)
• Emphasis / insistence (this scene): 無理だって (I'm telling you, it's impossible.)
⚠ The third use is told apart by intonation: a falling, drawn-out tone means emphasis.

Key vocabulary

ウオーキング
ウオーキング: walking (as exercise). Brisk walking as a workout, different from plain 「歩く」.
本人 ほんにん
本人: the person themselves; the person concerned.
普通 ふつう
普通: ordinary; usual. As an adverb it means "normally; as a rule."
せめて
せめて: at least. Expresses the minimum you fall back on.
シャワー
シャワー: shower.

↑ Scenes on this page

Workplace observation: the senior who never unlocks the door Single line

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 Workplace observation: the senior who never unlocks the door still

Asami has moved to a pharmacy close to home. Her senior colleague Miyaoka is careful and gentle, but he has one habit that she can't stand, which she describes in her head.
  1. 麻美（心）

    ⟨Just one thing about him bugs me...⟩

  2. 麻美（心）

    ⟨He's always the first one to arrive at the shop, and yet,⟩

  3. 麻美（心）

    he never unlocks the door himself,

  4. 麻美（心）

    for some reason he waits in his car,

  5. 麻美（心）

    and only after he's watched someone else open up...⟩

  6. 麻美（心）

    ⟨he walks in with a look that says "I just got here."⟩

  7. 麻美（心）

    ⟨It's only this mysterious behavior that gives me the creeps, exactly on that one point.⟩

  8. 麻美（心）

    ⟨Other than that, he's a nice guy.⟩

Speaking notes

決して〜ず

a literary negative that makes the inner monologue sound grand

「決して自分では鍵は開けず」 = "never unlocks it himself"
「ず」 is the classical form of 「ない」; used at a pause in the sentence, it works like 「〜ないで」 and sounds more formal and compact than the colloquial form.
⚠ 「決して」 must be paired with a negative. It is a fixed pattern (決して〜ない / 決して〜ず).
Other classical remnants this drama likes to use for contrast:
• 〜ざる (Episode 2, 「揺るがざる事実」)
• 〜がために (Episode 7, 「目立ちたいがために」)
• 〜べからず (prohibition)
Asami narrates in this stiff, bookish tone about something as trivial as a senior who refuses to unlock the shop door, and the gap itself is the joke.
This is the drama's most reliable comic device: the most solemn language for the pettiest subject.

〜のに（逆接）

'even though': unlike が/けど, it carries feeling

「一番早くお店に着いているのに」 = "even though he's the first to arrive at the shop"
「のに」 means "although... / and yet..." and always carries the speaker's puzzlement or dissatisfaction.
⚠ How it differs from other contrastive words:
• が / けど = objective contrast, no emotion
• のに = "although... (puzzlement, regret, complaint)"
• くせに = "although... (blame, contempt)" (Episode 9, scene 7)
All of Asami's irritation is packed into this one word. Each fact she states is neutral (he arrives first, waits in the car, gets out only after someone else has opened up), and 「のに」 strings them together into an indictment.

気持ち悪い

covers both physical and psychological discomfort

「この謎の行動だけがピンポイントで気持ち悪い」 = "Only this mysterious behavior bugs me, exactly on that one point."
⚠ This is not "nauseating" but "it gives me the creeps; something feels off and I can't say what."
「気持ち悪い」 covers two things:
• Physical discomfort: 乗り物で気持ち悪くなった (I felt sick on the ride.)
• Psychological discomfort (this scene): I can't say what is wrong, but it feels off
The slangy shortening 「キモい」 leaves almost only the psychological sense, and it is quite harsh.
With 「ピンポイントで」 (exactly at one point), the meaning becomes "everything else is fine, but this one thing I can't stand." This way of zeroing in on one point is very Japanese: you don't reject the person wholesale, only one spot on them.

Key vocabulary

見届ける みとどける
見届ける: to watch through to the end; to make sure of the outcome. Adds "confirming the result" to plain 「見る」.
ピンポイント
ピンポイント: pinpoint. 「ピンポイントで」 = right on that exact spot.
待機 たいき
待機: standing by; waiting on call.
出勤 しゅっきん
出勤: going to work; reporting for duty. The opposite is 「退勤」.
鍵 かぎ
鍵: key; lock. 「鍵を開ける」 = to unlock.

↑ Scenes on this page

Pharmacy chat: lab coats should be black

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 Pharmacy chat: lab coats should be black still

At the pharmacy, colleague Shimokawa lays out a theory to Asami: white coats are meant to make stains stand out, but pharmacists mostly get powder on them, so they should wear black. Asami notices an ink stain on his own coat.
  1. 下川／麻美

    Don't you think pharmacists' white coats are weird? / Why is that?

  2. 下川

    I mean, white coats are supposed to make stains show up, right?

  3. 麻美

    Yes, they are.

  4. 下川

    And the mess we deal with is mostly powder, isn't it?

  5. 下川／麻美

    So white actually makes it hard to see, doesn't it? / That's true.

  6. 下川

    I really think black would be better.

  7. 麻美

    You mean a black coat?

  8. 下川

    Yeah, that way the stains would show up, see?

  9. 麻美（心）

    ⟨And on that very same Mr. Shimokawa's white coat⟩

  10. 麻美（心）

    ⟨there was a jet-black ink stain.⟩

Speaking notes

〜じゃん？ ／ 〜なくない？

disguising your claim as something we all already know

Nearly every sentence here asks the listener for a "right?":
• 〜でしょ？ (汚れが目立つようにするためでしょ？)
• 〜じゃん？ (the Kanto colloquial version of 「じゃない」)
• 〜なくない？ (a double-negative rhetorical question: 目立たなくない？ = "doesn't it fail to stand out, if anything?")
⚠ Endings like these disguise your own claim as common knowledge, which makes it hard for the listener to push back: what they would have to deny is not "your opinion" but "what we all know."
That is how a far-fetched argument can roll all the way to its conclusion.
The structure of 「なくない？」 is worth learning on its own: adjective negative stem + ない + ? (目立たない → 目立たなくない？).
⚠ Young people's speech even has triple negatives like 「よくなくない？」 ("isn't it not good?"), told apart by intonation.

屁理屈という会話の型

each step is sound, the whole thing is pointless

「屁理屈（へりくつ）」 = a quibble; hair-splitting logic. Literally "fart reasoning."
The structure of this exchange is a textbook case, worth remembering as a template:
① Set up a premise everyone accepts (white coats are there to make stains show)
② Point out that it doesn't hold in this trade (our stains are white powder)
③ Draw an absurd conclusion (so we should wear black)
⚠ Every step is logical, yet the whole is meaningless. That is 屁理屈.
Japanese office chatter and お笑い comedy use this structure all the time.
For listening practice, catch these signal words and you can predict that a quibble is coming:
だって (because, you see) → 〜じゃん (right?) → ってことは (which means) → 絶対〜だと思う (I'm sure that... )
(The best part is the reversal at the end: the man giving this grand speech has a jet-black ink stain on his own white coat.)

〜ようにする

to deliberately arrange for something to happen

「汚れが目立つようにする」 = "to make the stains stand out"
「〜ようにする」 = to consciously bring about a certain state.
⚠ It differs from 「〜ようになる」 by one word, with an entirely different meaning:
• 〜ようにする = I make an effort to do it (intentional)
• 〜ようになる = to come to be... (naturally) (not intentional; Episode 10, scene 19)
Example: 毎日運動するようにしている (I try to exercise every day) / 運動するようになった (I've gotten into the habit of exercising)
⚠ Also keep it apart from 「〜ために」 (detailed in Episode 8, scene 9):
• 〜ために = in order to (follows a volitional verb)
• 〜ように = so that (follows a non-volitional verb, potential form, or negative form)
「目立つ」 is non-volitional (you can't order a stain to be conspicuous), so only ように works.

Key vocabulary

白衣 はくい
白衣: white coat. The work clothes worn by doctors, pharmacists and researchers.
漆黒 しっこく
漆黒: jet black. More bookish and literary than 「真っ黒」; using it for one ink stain is deliberate exaggeration.
薬剤師 やくざいし
薬剤師: pharmacist.
汚れ よごれ
汚れ: dirt; a stain. The verb is 「汚れる」.
目立つ めだつ
目立つ: to stand out; to be conspicuous.
粉末 ふんまつ
粉末: powder.

↑ Scenes on this page

Grandpa's medicine: these two can't be taken together

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 Grandpa's medicine: these two can't be taken together still

Asami, now a pharmacist, is at her grandfather's house and looks through his medicine. She finds two that shouldn't be taken together, prescribed by two different hospitals, and tells him to hold off.
  1. 麻美

    Listen, I'm pretty sure these two shouldn't be taken together.

  2. 祖父

    The doctors prescribed them for me, so it must be fine.

  3. 麻美

    No, these were prescribed by different hospitals,

  4. 麻美

    so I think they probably didn't notice.

  5. 遥／麻美

    Is that so? / Yeah.

  6. 麻美

    I'll go to the pharmacy and ask about it for now,

  7. 麻美

    so don't take them in the meantime.

Speaking notes

〜ないでおく

'don't do it for now', leaving things as they are until the next step

「取りあえず薬局に行って相談するけど、飲まないでおいて」 = "I'll go ask at the pharmacy first, so just don't take them for now."
This is the negative form of 「ておく」. It doesn't mean "never take them"; it means "hold off for now and leave things as they are until I follow up."
⚠ Compare:
• 飲まないで = don't take them (a plain prohibition)
• 飲まないでおいて = don't take them for now (a temporary measure, with more to come)
Put these three scenes together and you see three faces of 「ておく」:
• Episode 2 「交換しておいたほうが」 = preparing for the future
• Here 「飲まないでおいて」 = freezing things for now, pending the next step
• scene 6 「説明しといた」 = arranging things in advance
Similar: まだ言わないでおこう (let's not say anything yet), やめておく (I'll pass this time).

〜はずなんだよね

'should be': a supposition backed by knowledge, not a hunch

「この２つって飲み合わせが悪いはずなんだよね」 = "These two should be a bad combination."
「はず」 means "according to what I know / by logic, it ought to be so", not a guess based on a feeling.
⚠ Ladder of grounds for a supposition:
• 〜かもしれない = might be (weak grounds)
• 〜と思う = I think (subjective judgment)
• 〜はずだ = ought to be (based on knowledge or logic)
• 〜に違いない = must be (close to certainty)
By using 「はず」, Asami shows she has professional grounds (in this timeline she is a pharmacist).
Then she adds 「なんだよね」 to soften it: she's talking to her grandfather and can't sound like she's lecturing him.
(In Episode 5, scene 7, she is no longer a pharmacist, so she can't put it this way.)

〜てくれてんだから

'kindly gave me': a favor-verb that makes doubting the doctor unthinkable

Grandpa: 「お医者さん 出してくれてんだから大丈夫だろ」 = "The doctor went and prescribed them for me, so it's fine, isn't it?"
Contraction: 出してくれている → 出してくれてる → 出してくれてん + だから.
⚠ Another giving/receiving verb: 「くれる」 means "the other party (the doctor) did this for me", from the viewpoint of the recipient.
Grandpa's full logic: the doctor prescribed this "for me", I'm indebted for it, so it isn't right to doubt.
The sense of owing someone that 「くれる」 carries is exactly why he won't question the doctor.
⚠ Compare a version without giving/receiving:
• 医者が出した薬だから = because it's medicine the doctor prescribed (a plain statement, no sense of obligation)
• 出してくれてんだから = because they kindly prescribed it for me (with a sense of gratitude that leaves no room for doubt)

Key vocabulary

飲み合わせ のみあわせ
飲み合わせ: how drugs combine when taken together. 「飲み合わせが悪い」 = two medicines that shouldn't be taken together.
処方 しょほう
処方: prescription; prescribing. The verb is 「処方する」.
気付く きづく
気付く: to notice; to become aware.
相談 そうだん
相談: consultation; talking something over. 「相談に乗る」 = to give someone advice.
薬局 やっきょく
薬局: pharmacy.

↑ Scenes on this page

At the pharmacy: the check results are in

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 At the pharmacy: the check results are in still

Asami has taken her grandfather's medicine to a pharmacy to be checked and has waited a long time. Another pharmacist comes out and, in polite language, reports the result: drugs that must not be taken together were indeed prescribed.
  1. 薬剤師

    Ms. Harada.

  2. 薬剤師

    I'm terribly sorry to have kept you waiting so long.

  3. 薬剤師

    We have checked again on our end, and as you said,

  4. 薬剤師

    drugs that must not be taken together had been prescribed.

  5. 麻美

    I knew it, then. ⟨It was just as I thought.⟩

  6. 麻美（心）

    ⟨That combination was shortening my grandfather's life.⟩

  7. 麻美（心）

    ⟨After this, my grandfather was able to get the right medicine prescribed without any trouble.⟩

Speaking notes

〜ておりました

the third type of keigo: polite-humble, neither respectful nor humble

「併用してはいけない薬が処方されておりました」 = "Drugs that must not be used together had been prescribed."
「おる」 is the 丁重語 (formal-humble) form of 「いる」.
⚠ The key point: it is neither honorific nor humble toward someone; it is a third category that raises the tone of the whole statement out of courtesy to the listener.
That is why 「〜ております」 is not limited to the speaker's own actions (私がやっております) but can also be used for objective facts, as here (処方されておりました).
The four-way division of keigo (more accurate than the usual three):
• 尊敬語 = honors the other person (いらっしゃる、おっしゃる)
• 謙譲語Ⅰ = lowers yourself and honors the person your action is directed at (伺う、申し上げる)
• 謙譲語Ⅱ = 丁重語 = lowers yourself, courteous only toward the listener (おる、いたす、参る)
• 丁寧語 = です・ます・ございます
⚠ In Kansai dialect, 「おる」 is just a plain 「いる」 with no politeness; same form, different use, told apart by region and context.

おっしゃる通り

agree first, then apologize: acknowledging the other person is right

「原田様のおっしゃる通り」 = "just as you said, Ms. Harada"
「おっしゃる」 is the honorific form of 「言う」 and is used for the other person's actions.
⚠ You can never use it for yourself; use the humble 「申す／申し上げる」 instead:
• The other person speaks → おっしゃる (先生がおっしゃいました)
• You speak → 申す (私が申しました)
「おっしゃる通り」 is a set phrase for acknowledging that the other person is right, and here it does one more job: affirm the customer first, then state your own side's mistake, which dresses up the apology.
The full apology routine (all four parts are in this speech):
① 大変お待たせして申し訳ございません (apologize for the wait first)
② 確認したところ (say what action was taken)
③ おっしゃる通り (acknowledge the customer is right)
④ 〜ておりました (state the fact formally)

〜したところ

the formal, report-style version of 〜したら

「こちらで改めて確認したところ」 = "when we checked again on our end, (we found)..."
「ところ」 here means "I did something, and then learned a result."
⚠ It is much more formal than 「確認したら」 and is the standard connector in written and business reports; what follows must be a fact that was discovered (not a command, intention or request).
• 調べたところ、問題はありませんでした (I looked into it and found no problem)
• 伺ったところ、留守でした (I called at the house and found nobody home)
Other common uses of 「ところ」 (learn them together):
• 〜ているところ = right in the middle of doing...
• 〜たところで = even if... (Episode 4, scene 11: 「メシ押ししたところで」)
• 今日のところは = for today, at least (Episode 9, scene 11)

Key vocabulary

併用 へいよう
併用: using together. In medical contexts, taking multiple drugs at the same time.
命を縮める いのちをちぢめる
命を縮める: to shorten someone's life.
改めて あらためて
改めて: once more; anew (formally). 「改めて確認する」 is a very common business collocation.
無事 ぶじ
無事: safely; without incident. 「無事〜できた」 = managed to do it without any trouble.
大変お待たせしました たいへんおまたせしました
大変お待たせしました: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." 「お＋ます-stem＋する」 is a humble form that lowers your own action; 「大変」 intensifies the apology.

↑ Scenes on this page

The sparkler thing: this time I told the staff

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 The sparkler thing: this time I told the staff still

Asami, Miho and Natsuki arrive at the restaurant where Miho's birthday was celebrated before. Asami says she explained to the staff in advance that skipping the sparkler dessert is because Miho dislikes that kind of attention, and Miho is embarrassed.
  1. 麻美

    Also, I explained everything to the staff properly.

  2. 美穂／麻美

    Explained? / Yeah, I told them that when it was my birthday,

  3. 麻美

    they did that crackling sparkler thing, and that this time we're not doing it

  4. 麻美

    because she isn't good with that kind of thing,

  5. 麻美

    and that it's definitely not because we think less of her.

  6. 美穂／麻美

    You really said that? / Yeah.

  7. 麻美

    If I didn't, Mi-pon would worry about it.

  8. 美穂

    Stop it, that just makes it more embarrassing!

  9. 麻美

    I understand it all, so it's fine, it's fine.

  10. 美穂

    Stop! Was I being looked at that way from the very beginning?

Speaking notes

〜しといた

the contracted form of 〜ておく: doing something in advance

「店員さんにちゃんと説明しといたから」 = "I explained it to the staff properly (in advance)."
In conversation, 「ておく」 almost always contracts to 「〜とく」:
• しておく → しとく　• 買っておく → 買っとく
• 言っておく → 言っとく　• 覚えておいて → 覚えといて (Episode 8, scene 19)
• でおく → どく (読んでおく → 読んどく)
⚠ Put these three scenes together and all three faces of 「ておく」 appear:
• Episode 2 「交換しておいたほうが」 = preparing for the future (a long-term investment)
• scene 4 「飲まないでおいて」 = freezing things for now (pending the next step)
• Here 「説明しといた」 = arranging things in advance (to avoid trouble)
All three look ahead to what comes after, which is the essence of ておく and also this whole drama's pattern of behavior.

〜だからであって、決して〜じゃない

separating the real reason from the reason people might wrongly assume

「この子がそういうの苦手だからであって、決してこの子の扱いが低いとかじゃないですよ」 = "It's because she's not good with that kind of thing, and definitely not because she's being treated as less important."
The pattern 「AだからであってBじゃない」 cleanly separates "the real reason" from "the reason people might misunderstand."
Structure: 〜だから (reason) + であって (a pause form of 「である」, written style) + 決して〜じゃない (flatly denying the other reading).
⚠ The register is quite formal, common in explanations, statements, apologies and press conferences.
The humor is in the setting: this is what Asami says to a restaurant clerk.
She uses statement-style phrasing just to decide whether a birthday sparkler goes out, and all that solemnity is meant to look after a friend who doesn't want to be the center of attention.
(The other side of this is in Episode 6, scene 15: the more thoughtful she is, the more the other person feels she's being handled.)

余計

'all the more': makes things worse than they already were

「やめてよ、余計恥ずかしいじゃん」 = "Stop it, that makes it even more embarrassing!"
As an adverb, 「余計」 means "(it was already so, and) as a result even more so"; it carries a complaint of "now it's worse."
⚠ Keep it apart from the noun/na-adjective use:
• Adverb: 余計恥ずかしい (all the more embarrassing)
• Noun / na-adjective: 余計なこと (unnecessary things), 余計なお世話 (mind your own business)
Miho's line actually carries both meanings at once:
You did 「余計なこと」 (something unnecessary), so I'm 「余計恥ずかしい」 (even more embarrassed).
This is the core loop of the whole drama: an act of consideration becomes a burden on the person it was meant for.

Key vocabulary

扱い あつかい
扱い: treatment. 「扱いが低い」 = to be treated as unimportant; to get poor treatment.
気にする きにする
気にする: to worry about; to mind. Differs from 「気になる」 (to start bothering you naturally): 気にする is actively minding something.
説明 せつめい
説明: explanation.
苦手 にがて
苦手: weak point; not good at; can't stand. 「そういうのが苦手」 = can't deal with that kind of thing.
余計 よけい
余計: all the more; unnecessary. 「余計恥ずかしい」 = even more embarrassing.

↑ Scenes on this page

News about Mari: let me guess

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 News about Mari: let me guess still

Asami, Miho and Natsuki talk about Uno Mari, the student council president who was good at everything. They ask what she does now, and Asami insists on guessing.
  1. 麻美

    What could it be? I want to guess it.

  2. 美穂

    No, I don't think you'll get it.

  3. 夏希

    So that means she's not something like a doctor or a lawyer?

  4. 麻美／美穂

    A pilot. / Oh, right.

  5. 麻美／美穂

    Got it! / How did you know?

  6. 麻美

    I just thought if it's Mari, she'd have gotten that far.

  7. 夏希

    Even so, a pilot isn't what normally comes to mind.

  8. 麻美／美穂

    You think? / Mari is amazing, isn't she?

  9. 麻美

    She's become someone above the clouds, literally, too.

Speaking notes

にしても

'even so': accepting the point but still objecting

「にしても、普通パイロットは出てこないでしょ」 = "Even so, a pilot isn't what you'd normally come up with, is it?"
「にしても」 = granting what you said, but there's still a problem.
Natsuki accepts Asami's explanation ("because it's Mari") but still finds it suspicious.
⚠ Used on its own at the start of a sentence, it means "be that as it may."
The concessive patterns, in rising strength:
• 〜ても = even if... (the basic form)
• 〜にしても = even granting that, still... (picks up the other person's words)
• 〜としても = even supposing... (more formal; Episode 8, scene 10)
• 〜ならまだしも = if it were only..., that would be one thing (Episode 9, scene 15)
⚠ All four are "give a little ground, then push back", and all have appeared in this drama, so it helps to learn them as a set.

雲の上の存在

reviving a dead metaphor by making it literally true

「もうさ、物理的にも雲の上の存在になっちゃったよね」 = "She's even physically become someone above the clouds now."
「雲の上の存在」 = someone out of reach; a person on a different plane. Normally an overused figure of speech.
⚠ The joke rests entirely on the 「物理的にも」 Asami adds: Mari became a pilot, so the metaphor holds both literally and figuratively.
Japanese humor often "brings a dead metaphor back to life": use an idiom everyone knows, then point out that in this case it happens to be true.
This drama does it repeatedly:
• Episode 8 「今は雲の上というか」 (the same phrase, when Asami speaks of the late Mari: the other end of the pun)
• Episode 10 「バタフライまっさん」 (a big concept, the butterfly effect, pinned onto a nickname)

当たる／当てる

a transitive/intransitive pair: the viewpoint shifts

Asami: 「当てたいな～」 (I want to guess it right) / Miho: 「当たんないと思うわ」 (I don't think it'll hit)
⚠ A typical Japanese transitive/intransitive pair:
• 当てる (transitive) = I hit it / get it right (the subject is a person, stressing the active effort)
• 当たる (intransitive) = (the result) hits (the subject is the answer, stressing the outcome)
One stresses actively trying to guess; the other states that the result won't come out right. When such pairs occur together, the line between them is clear.
Pairs that have appeared in this drama (learn together):
• 変わる / 変える (航路が変わる / 航路を変える)
• ずれる / ずらす (Episode 8: タイミングがずれる / ずらす)
• 遅れる / 遅らせる (Episode 7, scene 12: the train is late / push it back)
• 伝わる / 伝える (Episode 9, scene 2: it gets across / I convey it)
⚠ Japanese strongly prefers intransitive verbs: people say 「当たらない」 rather than 「当てられない」, turning "I can't do it" into "it doesn't come about", a basic way Japanese avoids placing blame.

Key vocabulary

パイロット
パイロット: pilot.
弁護士 べんごし
弁護士: lawyer.
物理的 ぶつりてき
物理的: physical; physically. 「物理的にも雲の上」 is a joke that pulls an idiom apart and takes it literally.
存在 そんざい
存在: existence; (a certain kind of) person.
当てる あてる
当てる: to guess correctly; to hit. The intransitive form is 「当たる」.

↑ Scenes on this page

Three types of affair reactions: which is she?

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 Three types of affair reactions: which is she? still

Asami, Miho and Natsuki learn that Rena's boyfriend is married and talk about how to tell her. Miho sorts the possible reactions into types, drawing on the affair dramas they have all seen.
  1. 美穂

    When a woman finds out the man is married,

  2. 美穂

    she's either the type who breaks it off cleanly,

  3. 美穂

    the type who wants him to leave his wife,

  4. 美穂

    or the type who says, "So what?" and carries on the affair.

  5. 夏希／麻美

    Rena doesn't seem like the type to break up. / True.

  6. 美穂

    And besides, he'd probably say things like "My wife and I aren't getting along,"

  7. 美穂

    or "I was going to leave her eventually," wouldn't he?

  8. 麻美

    That's the pattern where he hints that his marriage has fallen apart.

Speaking notes

開き直る

to drop the guilty act and turn defiant the moment you're caught

「開き直って不倫関係も継続しちゃうタイプ」 = "the type who brazens it out and keeps the affair going"
「開き直る」 = when exposed or at a disadvantage, to suddenly stop acting guilty and become defiant instead. Literally "to open up and sit straight again."
⚠ The word stresses a sharp about-face in attitude: one moment they were covering up, the next it's "so what if I did?"
Usage: 開き直られると困る (it's hard to deal with it when the other person turns defiant).
Neighboring "attitude" verbs:
• ごまかす (to gloss over) • しらを切る (to feign ignorance)
• すっとぼける (to play dumb, scene 10) • 逆ギレする (to get angry when your mistake is pointed out)

におわせる

'matsuwaseru' became internet slang for hinting at a relationship

「家庭の破綻をにおわせるパターンね」 = "That's the pattern where he hints his home life has fallen apart."
Literally "to let someone smell it" (the causative of 匂う); it extends to not saying something outright, only letting out a whiff so the other person works it out.
⚠ In recent years the noun 「匂わせ」 has become internet slang in Japan, referring to celebrities deliberately dropping clues about a romance on social media (matching accessories, the same view in a photo).
The word is inherently negative: the person doing the hinting is seen as calculating.
The idea of the causative as "making the other person end up in some state" keeps appearing in this drama:
• におわせる (to let someone catch a whiff)
• 気を使わせる (to make someone fuss over you, Episode 9, scene 6)
• 心配させる (to make someone worry, Episode 8, scene 15)
⚠ The causative in Japanese rarely means "order someone to"; far more often it means "to bring about a certain result."

〜パターンね

sorting gossip into categories in an academic tone

「家庭の破綻をにおわせるパターンね」「歪んだ母性が芽生えちゃうパターン」
Throughout this passage, Asami keeps sticking labels on what the others describe with 「〜パターンね」.
⚠ It has the tone of an expert saying "I've seen this a lot, I have a category for it", and all of their "experience" comes from TV dramas.
The structure of the whole passage: a piece of gossip is split into three types in a taxonomist's voice (きっぱり別れる / 奥さんと別れてほしい / 開き直って継続).
Discussing gossip in the voice of academic analysis is a recurring joke structure in this drama:
• Episode 2 「希望的観測」 (commentator jargon applied to karaoke gossip)
• Episode 9 「閉店セール理論」 (formally naming a psychological phenomenon)
• Episode 10 「誕プレトラップ」「４チラ」 (coining terms on the spot)
⚠ Such expressions rely on both speaker and listener knowing they're putting on an act.

Key vocabulary

既婚者 きこんしゃ
既婚者: a married person. The opposite is 「独身（どくしん）」.
きっぱり
きっぱり: clearly; decisively. Often used for refusing or cutting ties.
不倫 ふりん
不倫: an extramarital affair; cheating.
継続 けいぞく
継続: continuation; continuing.
破綻 はたん
破綻: breakdown; collapse. 「家庭の破綻」 = a family falling apart.
におわせる
におわせる: to hint; to drop a hint. Literally "to let someone smell it"; see the note for details.

↑ Scenes on this page

Rehearsal: she agrees too easily to practice on

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 Rehearsal: she agrees too easily to practice on still

To prepare for telling Rena that her boyfriend is married, the three rehearse. Natsuki plays Rena but agrees to break up after a single line, so Asami and Miho can't continue the scene.
  1. 麻美／夏希

    Okay? Let's break up. / Understood. I'll break up.

  2. 麻美／美穂

    What? / Huh?

  3. 夏希／麻美

    I'll break up, thanks. / No, wait, wait, wait...

  4. 麻美／夏希

    Hey? / Hm?

  5. 麻美

    Could you hold out a little longer?

  6. 夏希／美穂

    Why? / I don't think it's that easy.

  7. 夏希／美穂

    But isn't that the sensible thing to do? / Well, yes, but...

  8. 美穂

    If it were that easy, it wouldn't be any use as practice at all.

Speaking notes

〜てくんない？

asking with a negative question: polite enough, not stiff

「もうちょっと粘ってくんない？」 = "Could you hold out a bit longer?"
Contraction: 〜てくれない？ → 〜てくんない？ (ら-row sound → ん, the most frequent sound change in this drama).
「〜てくれない？」 makes a request with a negative question, politer than 「〜て」 and more casual than 「〜てください」.
Request ladder (conversational):
• 粘って (hold out)
• 粘ってくれる？ (will you hold out for me?)
• 粘ってくんない？ (can't you hold out a bit longer?)
• 粘ってもらえる？ (could I ask you to hold out?, more polite)
⚠ Again a giving/receiving verb: 「くれる」 means "the other party does it for me", and the subtext of Asami's line is "go along with me here", asking the other person to do her a favor.
(She is rehearsing how to talk someone into leaving, and complains that her partner agrees so readily that there's nothing to practice.)

〜にならない

denies not the fact but the function: 'it doesn't count as / doesn't serve as'

「そんな簡単だったら、全然練習にならないから」 = "If it were that easy, it wouldn't be any use as practice at all."
⚠ 「〜にならない」 denies not a fact but usefulness: "it doesn't serve as / doesn't count as."
Common collocations (learn as a set):
• 勉強にならない (you learn nothing from it)
• 話にならない (not worth discussing; hopelessly short of the mark, a strong, total rejection)
• 仕事にならない (can't get any work done)
• 参考にならない (no use as a reference)
• 洒落にならない (a joke gone too far; no laughing matter)
⚠ The reverse, 「〜になる」, is just as common: 勉強になりました ("I learned a lot") is the standard polite thing to say after listening to someone's talk.

正論

'the correct argument': right, but often unhelpful

「でも 正論じゃん？」 = "But that's the right argument, isn't it?"
「正論」 = a sound, correct argument.
⚠ Yet the word carries a faintly negative tone in Japanese: 「正論を言う」 often implies "what you say is right, but you ignore people's feelings and reality."
That is why, when Natsuki says 「正論じゃん？」, Miho replies "Well, yes, but...": being right does not in itself persuade, which is the point of this exchange.
Related: 正論だけど ("it's right, but..."), 正論パンチ (hitting someone with the correct argument; internet slang).
⚠ This reflects a very Japanese value: getting the argument right and getting things done are two different matters. What Asami is best at in this drama is not arguing correctly but finding a way to put things that the other person can't refuse (Episode 7, scene 12 where she gets Mita into Saizeriya, and Episode 9, scene 15 where she "invites in a way that makes it easy to decline").

Key vocabulary

粘る ねばる
粘る: to be sticky; by extension, to hang in there and not give up easily. 「もう少し粘る」 = to hold out a little longer.
簡単 かんたん
簡単: easy; simple.
練習 れんしゅう
練習: practice.
別れる わかれる
別れる: to break up; to part.
正論 せいろん
正論: a sound argument; the right thing to say. ⚠ Often carries the tone of "true, but it doesn't help."

↑ Scenes on this page

Rena's phone call: a lesson in rough language

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 Rena's phone call: a lesson in rough language still

Right after Asami tells Rena that her boyfriend is married, Rena calls him on the spot and confronts him. (Extremely crude language: understand it, but never use it.)
  1. 玲奈

    Don't "what's wrong" me, you bastard, you're married, aren't you?!

  2. 玲奈

    Don't "huh?" me! Quit playing dumb, you scum.

  3. 玲奈

    I've got the evidence.

  4. 玲奈

    Don't tell me to "calm down", you idiot!

  5. 玲奈

    How dare you waste my precious time, you piece of crap!

  6. 玲奈

    Delete my contact info right now.

  7. 玲奈

    Or I'll come storming into your workplace!

  8. 玲奈

    Got it?!

Speaking notes

「〜」じゃねえよ

quoting the other person's words and throwing them straight back

「『どうしたの？』じゃねえよ」 = "Don't you 'what's wrong' me."
A core pattern of Japanese arguing: quote the words the other person just said, then slap them down.
⚠ The neat thing is that the audience hears only one side of the call, yet can work out what the other party said from the quoted parts.
We never hear the other end of the line here, but the whole conversation is perfectly clear, thanks to this pattern:
• 「どうしたの？」じゃねえよ → the other person said "what's wrong?"
• 「は？」じゃねえよ → the other person played dumb
• 「落ち着いて」じゃねえよ → the other person told her to calm down
⚠ Milder versions are just as common: 「ごめん」じゃないよ ("Is 'sorry' all you've got?"), 「お疲れさま」じゃなくて (Episode 6, scene 10, said by Asami at the counter).

よくも〜してくれたな

a giving verb turned into bitter sarcasm, something textbooks skip

「よくも私の大事な時間 無駄にしてくれたな」 = "How dare you waste my precious time."
Literally, "you've done a fine job of wasting it (for me)."
⚠ This shows an important side of giving/receiving verbs: 「くれる」 normally means "the other person did me a favor", and using it deliberately for something bad turns it into biting sarcasm.
「よくも」 = "how dare you" (originally "well / nicely"; the sarcastic use is now fixed).
Similar sarcastic uses:
• よくも騙してくれたな (how dare you deceive me)
• やってくれたな (you've really done it now)
• ありがとうございました（棒読み） (thanking in a flat monotone = sarcasm)
⚠ So 「〜てくれる」 does not mean "thanks." It marks that "the other person's action landed on me"; whether it is a favor or a grudge depends on context and tone.

ぞんざいな二人称と罵り語

understand rough second-person words and curses; never use them

「てめぇ」 = a coarsened form of 「手前」, an extremely rude "you."
Rudeness ladder for "you":
• あなた (neutral, somewhat distant) < きみ (superior to inferior / intimate) < あんた (casual / contemptuous, Episode 10, scene 8) < おまえ (very casual) < てめぇ / きさま (aggressive)
Insults: カス (scum), クソ (literally excrement; also a prefix: クソ暑い), バーカ (a drawn-out バカ, "idiot").
⚠ Sound changes in rough speech (essential for listening):
• ない → ねえ (じゃないと → じゃねえと, すごい → すげえ)
• るな → んな (すっとぼけるな → すっとぼけんな)
• ら-row → ん (分からない → 分かんない)
⚠ Use this passage only to understand. Do not imitate it. Using any of these to a Japanese person can have serious consequences.

Key vocabulary

すっとぼける
すっとぼける: to play dumb; to feign ignorance. An emphatic form of 「とぼける」.
ネタが上がる ネタがあがる
ネタが上がる: (slang) for the evidence to come to light. ネタ is reversed-syllable slang for 「たね」 (seed), meaning material, evidence, something to hold over someone.
無駄 むだ
無駄: waste; futile. 「時間を無駄にする」 = to waste time.
突撃 とつげき
突撃: a charge; storming in. Originally military; in casual speech, going straight to someone's place.
職場 しょくば
職場: workplace.
カス
カス: scum; garbage. An extremely strong insult, for understanding only.

↑ Scenes on this page

Afterlife reception: what is a basic lifespan?

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 Afterlife reception: what is a basic lifespan? still

Asami is back at the afterlife reception counter. She asks the receptionist whether dying at 33 both times was fated, and the receptionist explains how lifespans work.
  1. 麻美

    Is it already decided that I die at 33?

  2. 受付係

    It's not that it's decided, you see; each of our guests

  3. 受付係

    has a period in which they are more likely to pass away.

  4. 麻美／受付

    A period in which I'm more likely to die? / Yes. First of all,

  5. 受付係

    each of our guests

  6. 受付／麻美

    has what we call a basic lifespan. / Basic lifespan...

  7. 受付係

    It differs somewhat between individuals depending on heredity and environment, but

  8. 受付係

    for someone of Ms. Kondo's generation, it's generally

  9. 受付係

    somewhere between 90 and 100 years old.

Speaking notes

お亡くなりになる

the highest register for 'to die'

「お亡くなりになりやすい時期」 = "a period in which one is more likely to pass away"
Japanese has a whole ladder of registers for "to die":
• 死ぬ (blunt, very impolite to use about someone who has died)
• 亡くなる (euphemistic, the most common)
• お亡くなりになる (honorific, the highest level)
• 逝去（せいきょ）される (written, obituaries)
• 幕を閉じる / 天寿を全うする (literary, Episode 10, scene 20)
⚠ Note the all-purpose honorific frame 「お〜になる」: お書きになる、お読みになる、お帰りになる.
Use it for the other person's actions; never for your own (for your own, use 「お〜する / いたす」, Episode 1, scene 7).
The receptionist uses the highest level throughout, treating "the guest's death" as something that calls for respect.

〜というものがある

introducing a concept the listener doesn't know by giving its name first

「基本寿命というものがありまして」 = "there is something called the 'basic lifespan'."
Used to introduce a concept the listener doesn't know yet: give the name first, then explain the content.
⚠ Compared with a bare 「基本寿命があります」, it adds the consideration of "you probably haven't heard this term, so let me introduce it."
Very frequent in explanations, teaching and customer service.
Similar "define / introduce" patterns (all of them have appeared in this drama):
• 〜とは〜のことだ = "X means Y" (used four times in a row when explaining 番手 and トメ in Episode 6)
• 〜というものがある = there is something called... (here)
• 〜の略 = short for... (Episode 4, scene 9: ＡＰ = アシスタントプロデューサー)
⚠ When you hear any of these three signals, you know a term is about to be explained and can follow along with confidence.

〜ですと ／ 〜んですけども

the Japanese rhythm of explaining: scope, then caveat, then the number

「近藤様の世代ですと、大体90歳から100歳くらいまでの間になってます」
• ですと = a polite form of 「だと」 (if it's...)
• んですけども = the colloquial form of 「けれども」 (a caveat first, then the conclusion)
⚠ Together these make up the typical rhythm of a Japanese explanation:
① Narrow the scope first (近藤様の世代ですと)
② Then declare the exception (個人差はあるんですけども)
③ Only then give the number (90歳から100歳)
For listening, catching this rhythm is easier than catching individual words, because the real information always comes last and everything before it is a buffer.
⚠ It also means that with Japanese speakers, you shouldn't form a judgment after the first sentence.

Key vocabulary

寿命 じゅみょう
寿命: lifespan.
個人差 こじんさ
個人差: individual differences.
遺伝 いでん
遺伝: heredity; genetics.
環境 かんきょう
環境: environment.
世代 せだい
世代: generation; age group.
時期 じき
時期: period; season; time.

↑ Scenes on this page

Afterlife reception: how the odds of death are spread

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 Afterlife reception: how the odds of death are spread still

The receptionist continues explaining lifespans: besides the basic lifespan, the chances of accidental death from accidents or illness are distributed across ages. The total is the same for everyone, the distribution is random, and Asami's is concentrated in her thirties.
  1. 受付係

    Besides this basic lifespan, the probability of irregular deaths, such as accidents and illness,

  2. 受付係

    is allocated to each age.

  3. 麻美／受付

    Allocated...? / The total is the same for every guest, but

  4. 受付係

    the way it is allocated is random, and so, as you can see,

  5. 受付係

    some guests have it spread evenly over all ages,

  6. 受付係

    while others have a high probability concentrated in a certain period.

  7. 受付係

    And in Ms. Kondo's case, that period

  8. 受付係

    falls in her thirties.

Speaking notes

〜方もいらっしゃれば、〜方もいらっしゃる

listing two cases with an honorific verb: standard for explaining a system

「満遍なく振り分けられる方もいらっしゃれば、ある時期に集中して高い確率になってる方もいらっしゃるんです」 = "Some people have it spread evenly, and some have a high probability concentrated in a certain period."
Two pieces of grammar are stacked here:
① 「AもXば, BもY」 = listing two coexisting cases (some... and others...), more formal and balanced than simply saying 「〜も〜も」
② 「いらっしゃる」 = the honorific of 「いる」 (because the subject is a guest)
⚠ 「いらっしゃる」 is the honorific of three verbs at once: いる、行く、来る; context tells them apart.
• 先生がいらっしゃる (the teacher is here / has come / has gone)
• いらっしゃいませ (Episode 1, scene 2: the 「来る」 sense)
The whole sentence is the standard setup for explanatory honorifics, appearing again and again when explaining a system or introducing a situation.

〜といった

the formal version of 〜とか, and it implies 'there are others too'

「こういった事故や病気といったイレギュラーな死の確率」 = "the probability of irregular deaths, such as accidents and illness"
「AやBといったC」 = "C, such as A and B", a way of giving examples in writing and formal speech, more formal than 「〜とか」.
⚠ Note that it implies "not just these two; there are others of the same kind", so the noun that follows must be a broader category (here 「イレギュラーな死」).
Register ladder for giving examples:
• 〜とか (most casual; can also soften a statement, Episode 2, scene 1)
• 〜や〜など (general written style)
• 〜や〜といった (formal, followed by a broader category)
• 〜をはじめとする (headed by..., the most formal)

振り分ける（受身）

a passive that hides who does the doing, making rules sound like natural law

「各年齢ごとに振り分けられてるんです」 = "It's allocated to each age."
「振り分ける」 = to allocate; to divide up.
⚠ The whole passage uses the passive 「振り分けられてる」: not "we allocate it" but "it is allocated."
This is a standard technique when Japanese explains a system: the passive hides the agent, making the rule seem as objective as a law of nature, so nobody has to take responsibility for it.
It's the same kind of wording as in Episode 1:
• 決まりなので (Episode 1, scene 11: the one refusing is "the rule")
• 〜に基づいて (Episode 1, scene 10: "I'm not the one who made this")
• 振り分けられてる (here: "it was assigned this way")
⚠ Throughout the drama, this counter never once says "I decided."

Key vocabulary

イレギュラー
イレギュラー: irregular; unexpected.
満遍なく まんべんなく
満遍なく: evenly; without leaving anything out.
確率 かくりつ
確率: probability.
ランダム
ランダム: random.
集中 しゅうちゅう
集中: concentration; focus.
各〜 かく〜
各〜: each...; every... 「各年齢ごとに」 = for each age.

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Afterlife reception: how many times can I redo it?

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 3 Afterlife reception: how many times can I redo it? still

This time the next life is a mackerel. Asami tentatively asks whether she can start over once more, and the receptionist says yes, but the number of times is limited and depends on the merit accumulated earlier.
  1. 麻美

    I can't start over one more time, can I?

  2. 受付係

    You can.

  3. 麻美

    What?

  4. 麻美／受付

    I can? / Yes.

  5. 麻美

    Oh, I see.

  6. 麻美

    So is this a system where I can keep redoing it

  7. 麻美

    as many times as it takes until I'm satisfied?

  8. 受付係

    No, of course there is a limit.

  9. 受付係

    The number of times is also determined by the amount of merit you accumulated in your first life, so

  10. 受付／麻美

    there are guests who can't redo it even once. / I see.

Speaking notes

〜が利く

'works / has room to work': a verb for function and flexibility

「やり直しが利くっていうシステムですか？」 = "Is it a system where you can redo things?"
「利く」 indicates that some function, leeway or flexibility is effective.
Learn these as a group:
• 融通が利く (flexible; able to make allowances)
• 無理が利く (able to push oneself)
• 気が利く (thoughtful, attentive; the opposite is 「気が利かない」)
• 目が利く (a good eye) • 鼻が利く (a keen nose / well informed)
• ブレーキが利く (the brakes work)
⚠ 「やり直しが利かない」 = "there are no do-overs", a very common phrase and this whole drama is about a life where 「やり直しが利く」.

〜ですよね？（確認の否定疑問）

asking in a way that assumes a 'no', to protect yourself

「もう１回やり直すっていうのはできないですよね？」 = "I can't start over once more, can I?"
⚠ Asami knows the hope is slim, so she says the negative answer for the other person first, and if she's refused, it isn't embarrassing.
Compare:
• できますか？ = Can I? (reveals your expectation, and a refusal would sting)
• できないですよね？ = I can't, can I? (I'm already prepared to hear "no")
This is the self-protective stance Japanese speakers take when making a request that will probably be refused.
Then the other side answers 「できますよ」, and the gap hits: this is the real starting point of the drama.
(In Episode 8, scene 18, at the end of her fourth life, she asks again: 「あの、やり直せますかね？」, with the same self-protection and the same sentence-final 「ね」.)

〜によって決まっている

stating the criterion, and at the same time letting go of responsibility

「その回数も, １周目で積んだ徳の量によって決まっているので」 = "The number of times is also decided by the amount of merit you built up in your first life."
「〜によって」 gives the basis for a judgment or a variation.
⚠ 「によって」 has four common uses, all of which have appeared in this drama:
• Basis (here): 徳の量によって決まる
• Varies by case: 人によって違う (stronger with は: 〜によっては, Episode 7, scene 6)
• Cause / means: パイロットになったことによって (Episode 9, scene 12)
• Agent in a passive sentence: ラボの人たちによって発見される
Here the 「決まっている」 (ている form) means "it has been set and is now in that state", another sentence that shifts responsibility onto the system.

Key vocabulary

納得 なっとく
納得: acceptance; being convinced. 「納得いく」 = to be satisfactory; to make sense to you.
限り かぎり
限り: limit; bounds. 「限りがある」 = to be limited.
回数 かいすう
回数: number of times.
システム
システム: system; mechanism.
積む つむ
積む: to accumulate; to pile up. 「徳を積む」 = to accumulate merit, a key phrase in this drama.

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