LearnWithSubs

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7

This episode collects 17 dialogue scenes: friends chatting about a drama, a family at the dinner table, a classmate inviting her at the arcade, legal terms at a Coming-of-Age ceremony, confiding at the station, inviting someone with polite set phrases, colleagues' picks, and going over an awkward greeting together. The main focus is how the giving/receiving verbs 「くれる／もらう／あげる」 differ in standpoint.

Language highlights

  • 「くれる／あげる／もらう」(giving and receiving verbs compared)
  • 「〜とは思えない」(can't bring myself to think it is...)
  • 「立ち話もなんなんで」(a set phrase for moving a conversation elsewhere)
  • 「〜ても」(concessive: even if / even though)
  • 「言いづらい」(hard to bring oneself to say)

Scenes on this page

  1. Friends chatting about a TV drama

    Scene 1 · 0:26

    Expressions: Abbreviation culture: かのこじ, ～もん, ～たほうがいいよ

  2. What is that "but" supposed to be contrasting?

    Scene 2 · 0:39

    Expressions: 見てくれた？ — 授受動詞くれる, 「でも」 as a probe, ～に対しての＋名詞

  3. Her 110-year-old composure vs. her annoying dad

    Scene 3 · 0:50

    Expressions: 肘つかないの, ちょうだい, ～ても（逆接）

  4. Invited to take purikura at Round One

    Scene 4 · 0:36

    Expressions: 撮らない？ (inviting with a negative), 断られなくて — 受身＋て（原因）, Three casual contractions

  5. Which floor would you live on?

    Scene 5 · 0:41

    Expressions: ～としたら, ～しか～ない, 違った？

  6. What charge for the troublemaker at the ceremony?

    Scene 6 · 0:32

    Expressions: ～がために, 威力業務妨害 vs 公務執行妨害, ～によっては

  7. Someone has to tell him the truth

    Scene 7 · 0:32

    Expressions: 言ってあげる — 授受動詞あげる, ～すぎない？, チヤホヤする

  8. Success isn't the only kind of happiness

    Scene 8 · 0:37

    Expressions: 応援してあげたら — 同じあげる、違う体温, ～とは思ってない, ～ても～なくても

  9. A classmate put on a pedestal

    Scene 9 · 0:31

    Expressions: 会ってもらえない — 授受動詞もらう, ～どころか, 言われてたの？

  10. Fuku's wife vents at the station

    Scene 10 · 0:37

    Expressions: 言ってくんだよね は「くれる」ではない, 言ってあげられない, ～てほしい

  11. Putting separation on the table

    Scene 11 · 0:47

    Expressions: ～んだったら, 言うのもあれなんだけど, 視野に入れる

  12. Inviting teacher Mita to tea

    Scene 12 · 0:24

    Expressions: 立ち話もなんなんで, 内容も内容なんで, 遅らせる

  13. Her sister asks if she's on her second life

    Scene 13 · 0:35

    Expressions: 上げられる／一目置かれる — 連続する受身, つじつまが合わない, ～ってなんの

  14. Which geniuses can skip refocusing the microscope?

    Scene 14 · 0:38

    Expressions: ～ほどの, ～なくてもいい ⇄ ～なきゃいけない, ～しね

  15. Dad picks his best clothes to receive the visitor

    Scene 15 · 0:47

    Expressions: 娘さんを僕に下さい, 言われる側, ～にしとけば？

  16. Classmates at an awkward distance

    Scene 16 · 0:36

    Expressions: 空気が流れる, そんなつもりじゃなかったら, 言いづらい（本集第三次）

  17. A-chin, which life are you on?

    Scene 17 · 0:36

    Expressions: ～とは思えない, バ～って, 声をかける

Speed
All scenes

Friends chatting about a TV drama

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Friends chatting about a TV drama still

At a cafe, Asami, Natsuki and Miho talk about the dramas they're watching this season. Natsuki and Miho are both into かのこじ, which Asami has never heard of.
  1. 夏希

    So, what are you watching this season?

  2. 美穂／夏希

    It's gotta be かのこじ, right? / Ah, yeah, かのこじ.

  3. 美穂

    Yeah, my dad never watches dramas normally, but

  4. 美穂／夏希

    he does watch かのこじ, you know. / Same here, my whole family watches it.

  5. 麻美／夏希

    かのこじ? / Yeah.

  6. 美穂／麻美

    A-chin, you haven't seen it? / Ah, um, no... Wait, what...?

  7. 麻美

    かのこじ?

  8. 美穂

    彼女は個人事業主 ("She Is a Sole Proprietor").

  9. 麻美／美穂

    Huh... / You should definitely watch it.

  10. 夏希／麻美

    Yeah, yeah. / Oh, I see. Huh...

Speaking notes

Abbreviation culture: かのこじ

Japanese's love of four-mora abbreviations

「彼女は個人事業主」 → 「かのじょはこじんじぎょうぬし」 → 「かのこじ」. Four morae is the most comfortable rhythm in Japanese, so long names are almost always squeezed down to four: スターバックス → スタバ、ポケットモンスター → ポケモン、就職活動 → 就活. There is no fixed rule for how to cut: sometimes you take the first mora of each word (かのこじ), sometimes the first two morae (スタバ). When you can't make sense of an abbreviation, count whether it is four morae and try to rebuild the full name.

～もん

sentence-final particle (= んだもの), "because..."

「見てるもん」 = "He does watch it, you know!" もん is the casual form of もの. At the end of a sentence it makes a justifying or slightly pouty point, as if to say "I have my reasons, so you have to believe me." Compared with「から」, which simply states a reason, もん adds the feeling of "I've got a good reason here, so hear me out". It is used most by women and children. Here Miho is offering proof: even her dad, who never watches dramas, is following it.

～たほうがいいよ

"you'd better...", stronger than it sounds

Literally "doing it is the better side", but in practice it is much stronger than a mild "you might want to...", closer to "you really should...". The negative is not 「〜たほうがよくない」 but 「〜ないほうがいい」, which is the most common mistake for beginners. Adding「よ」pushes the conclusion onto the listener, so Miho is practically telling her she has to watch it.

Key vocabulary

今期 こんき
This season (of TV shows). A TV season is three months; related words are 前期 (last season) and 来期 (next season).
個人事業主 こじんじぎょうぬし
Sole proprietor, freelancer. One of the formal filer categories for Japanese taxes.
普段 ふだん
Usually, normally. Mostly used as an adverb, and often followed by a negative.

↑ Scenes on this page

What is that "but" supposed to be contrasting?

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 What is that "but" supposed to be contrasting? still

Asami asks Natsuki and Miho whether they watched the drama she produced. They say they did, but every comment starts with「でも」and only praises the actress and the stylish visuals, so Asami asks what the「でも」means.
  1. 麻美／夏希

    Oh, did you watch it? / Yeah, yeah, I did...

  2. 美穂／麻美

    Of course, of course. / So, what did you think?

  3. 夏希・美穂

    Ah...

  4. 夏希

    Um... but... Asami Usuda looked so pretty, didn't she?

  5. 美穂／夏希

    She did look pretty! Right?! / Right?!

  6. 麻美

    Yeah... How about the story?

  7. 夏希・美穂

    Ah...

  8. 美穂／夏希

    But the visuals were kind of stylish. / Yeah, they were stylish.

  9. 美穂／麻美

    They were stylish. / What's that "but" about?

  10. 美穂

    Hm?

  11. 麻美

    You've been saying "but" this whole time. What is it a "but" to?

  12. 麻美

    Was it boring?

Speaking notes

見てくれた？ — 授受動詞くれる

「くれる」, the first of the three giving/receiving verbs (focus of this episode)

「見た？」 only asks about the fact: did you watch it? 「見てくれた？」 treats watching as a favor the other person did for me, with the speaker on the receiving side. くれる always points from outside toward the speaker (or the speaker's side), so it naturally carries the warmth of "thank you for doing this for me".
Why Asami has to use くれる: it's her own drama, so what she really wants to ask is not "did you watch it?" but "did you show up and support me?"
Compare: 見てもらえた？ = more polite and also more distant (the other person's action is treated as something I asked for); 見た？ = a plain question about fact, which would feel cold here.

「でも」 as a probe

using 「でも」as a probe

Normally 「でも」 needs something in front of it to push against, but both friends start every sentence with 「でも」 while the first half is empty. What is being turned around is the unspoken "it wasn't good".
In Japanese conversation 「でも」 is often used as a pure cushioning word to soften what is about to be said, with no real contrast in it (much like the English "well, um..."). The beauty of this scene is that Asami won't let that empty 「でも」 slide and forces out what's behind it.

～に対しての＋名詞

〜に対しての + noun (= 〜に対する)

「何に対しての『でも』？」 = "A 'but' to what?" When 「〜に対して」 modifies a noun it has two forms: 〜に対する (formal, written) and 〜に対しての (spoken), with the same meaning. Asami uses the spoken form here, but the sentence structure itself is stiff: she is asking in dead earnest, and the mood tightens at once.

Key vocabulary

もち
Short for 「もちろん」; a casual "of course". Only used with people you're close to.
オシャレ おしゃれ
Stylish, with good taste. Can describe people, things or visuals.
つまんない
Colloquial sound change of 「つまらない」 (らない → んない). Boring, not good.

↑ Scenes on this page

Her 110-year-old composure vs. her annoying dad

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Her 110-year-old composure vs. her annoying dad still

Middle-school Asami is eating at the table with her family. Her father Hiroshi's old habits annoy her again: he instantly tries out tips from TV and always finishes his side dishes first. She struggles to keep her temper in check.
  1. 麻美（心）

    (Fourth time through middle school.)

  2. 麻美（心）

    (That's about 110 years in total.)

  3. 麻美（心）

    (Even after living that long,

  4. 麻美（心）

    at this age I still get properly annoyed at my dad.)

  5. 寛

    Look at this!

  6. 麻美（心）

    (Like how he immediately uses a life hack he saw on 伊東家.)

  7. 久美子

    Thanks for waiting. Okay, let's eat.

  8. 久美子／遥

    Haruka, no elbows on the table. / Okay.

  9. 麻美（心）

    (Or how every time the side dishes run out early, and he's left eating plain rice for the second half.)

  10. 麻美（心）

    (Everything about him gets on my nerves, but...)

  11. 寛

    What?

  12. 麻美（心）

    (I'm holding it all down perfectly with my 110-year-old self-control.)

  13. 麻美／遥

    Haruka, give me a sausage. / No.

Speaking notes

肘つかないの

「〜ないの」 as a gentle command

This is not a question. A verb in the ない form plus 「の」, said with a flat or slightly falling tone, is a soft prohibition. It sounds like a statement of a rule that is simply understood, and mothers use it with children all the time.
Compare: 肘つかないで = please don't put your elbows on it (direct request); 肘つくな = don't (blunt command); 肘つかないの = we just don't do that in this house. The last one hurts the least, because it sounds less like an order and more like reciting a rule.

ちょうだい

ちょうだい: the root of the giving verbs

A casual version of「ください」, coming from「頂戴する」(to receive), used among family and close friends. Like ください, it is an imperative of the「くれる」family: asking the other person to give something to me, so the direction is toward the speaker.
The humor: Asami has just declared that she is suppressing everything with her 110-year-old composure, and a second later she asks her little sister for a sausage in the most childish home tone. Her composure can hold back the anger, but not the part of her that automatically slips back into being a middle schooler at this table.

～ても（逆接）

〜ても (concessive)

Verb て-form + も = "even if...", "even though...". 「そんなに生きても…ちゃんとイライラする」 = even after living that long, I still get irritated. The joke lies entirely in 「ちゃんと」. ちゃんと is normally a positive "properly, as one should", and applying it to 「イライラする」 makes it "getting irritated in a perfectly proper way", which is self-mocking.

Key vocabulary

裏ワザ うらワザ
Life hack, home remedy. 「裏」 = not the usual route, 「ワザ(技)」 = technique. 「伊東家」 (a TV life-hack show) was hugely popular in Japan from 1997 to 2007.
ウザい
Annoying, in the way. Shortened from 「うざったい」; young people's slang with a fairly strong tone.
押さえ込む おさえこむ
To hold down, to keep something from coming out. Comes from a judo term (a pin).
何もかも なにもかも
Everything, all of it. More emotional than 「全部」.
いただきましょう
"Let's eat." 「いただく」 is the humble verb for 「食べる／飲む／もらう」, and the 「いただきます」 said before meals is this verb, literally "I receive (this life)". ⚠ The 「ちょうだい」 on this card also comes from 「頂戴する」, so it shares a source with いただく: one is the formal table form, the other the wheedling form for asking your sister for a sausage.

↑ Scenes on this page

Invited to take purikura at Round One

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Invited to take purikura at Round One still

A new Round One arcade has opened in town. Middle-school Asami is wandering around alone when her classmate Mari Uno speaks to her and asks her to take purikura together.
  1. 真里

    Asami?

  2. 麻美／真里

    Oh, Mari. / On your own?

  3. 麻美

    Yeah, I just happened to be passing by.

  4. 真里／麻美

    Same here. / Oh, really.

  5. 真里／麻美

    This place is something, isn't it? / It doesn't feel like our hometown.

  6. 真里

    I know, right? Ah... Want to take purikura together?

  7. 麻美

    Yeah, let's do it.

  8. 真里／麻美

    Good, I'm glad you didn't turn me down. / I wouldn't turn you down!

  9. 麻美／真里

    Shall we? / Yeah.

  10. 大头贴机

    (Photo booth) 2, 1...

  11. 麻美

    It's so polite.

  12. 真里／麻美

    Here. / Thanks.

Speaking notes

撮らない？ (inviting with a negative)

inviting someone with a negative question

「〜ない？」 (negative question) = "Want to...?" It is much more polite than「撮ろう」("let's take one"), because a positive invitation makes the decision for the other person, while a negative question puts the option of "no" on the table first, as if saying "it's fine if you don't want to."
The politeness ladder: 撮ろう (come on, let's take one) < 撮らない？ (want to take one?) < 撮りませんか (would you like to take one?, polite form) < 撮りましょうか (shall I propose we take one?). Mari picks the rung that gives the other person the easiest way out, because she is genuinely afraid of being turned down.

断られなくて — 受身＋て（原因）

passive + て-form (reason)

An inverted sentence. The normal order is「断られなくてよかった」 = "I'm glad I wasn't turned down." 「〜てよかった」 = "I'm glad that...", a set pattern for expressing relief.
Why the passive? The subject is Mari herself, but the act of refusing would have been Asami's. Japanese almost always uses the passive when describing someone else's action landing on me, with me merely having to take it. She doesn't say「麻美ちゃんが断らなくてよかった」, because then the focus would move to Asami; with the passive, the focus stays on her own anxious heart.
This line also explains why she later asks「また学校でも話しかけていい？」: in her eyes, Asami has always been someone who might turn her down.

Three casual contractions

three casual contractions in a row (撮ろ／断んない／ありがと)

撮ろう → 撮ろ (the long vowel drops), 断らない → 断んない (ら-row sound turns into ん, extremely common: 分からない → 分かんない、つまらない → つまんない), ありがとう → ありがと.
These contractions only appear between people who are close enough. Mari tests the water with the polite-leaning「一緒に撮らない？」, Asami answers with contractions, and the distance between them closes within these few syllables.

Key vocabulary

たまたま
By chance, as it happens. Stresses that nothing was planned.
通りかかる とおりかかる
To happen to pass by. 「かかる」 here means the action happens to run into something.
プリ
A further shortening of「プリクラ」(photo sticker booth). プリクラ itself is short for 「プリント倶楽部」.
丁寧 ていねい
Polite, thoughtful. Here Asami is teasing the machine for counting down so courteously.

↑ Scenes on this page

Which floor would you live on?

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Which floor would you live on? still

After taking purikura, Asami and Mari browse the arcade and chat about which floor they'd pick if they lived in this building. Mari picks the karaoke floor because it has sofas and air conditioning.
  1. 真里

    It feels like everything fun is gathered here.

  2. 真里

    Until now, the only place to hang out was Aeon, wasn't it?

  3. 麻美

    Yeah, right.

  4. 真里／麻美

    Honestly, I kind of want to live here. / Ah, I do too.

  5. 真里／麻美

    If you were to live here, which floor would you pick? / Floor?

  6. 真里

    Yeah, it'd be karaoke, wouldn't it?

  7. 真里

    It has sofas and air conditioning.

  8. 麻美

    Ah, you mean living there just as it is?

  9. 真里

    Yeah. Huh? Wasn't that it?

  10. 麻美

    I pictured the upper floors being turned into something like a hotel and living there.

  11. 真里

    Oh, that's what you meant. That's awesome.

  12. 麻美

    Though living in a karaoke box sounds rough, doesn't it?

  13. 真里

    Good point!

Speaking notes

～としたら

〜としたら: the hypothetical trio

「住むとしたら」 = "if we were to live here". The feature of としたら is that the speaker doesn't think it will really happen and is just following the idea through for now, so it suits playful hypotheticals like this.
The three compared:
• 住んだら = after living there (most neutral, could really happen)
• 住むなら = in that case, if it's about living (picks up the topic the other person just raised)
• 住むとしたら = supposing we lived there (pure thought experiment, with a built-in "it'll never happen anyway")
Mari has just said「住みたいんだけど」, so「住むとしたら」 fits perfectly: she knows it's a fantasy but still wants to choose a floor seriously.

～しか～ない

〜しか〜ない: limit + dissatisfaction

「イオンくらいしか遊ぶとこなかった」 = "the only place to hang out was Aeon." しか must be followed by a negative, and the whole sentence carries the complaint "that's all there is, and it's not enough."
The contrast you learned in Episode 6 shows up again here: for the same quantity, 「２週間も」 = "as long as two weeks" (feels like a lot), while 「２週間しか」 = "only two weeks" (feels like little). The particle is the switch for attitude; the number itself takes no side.

違った？

違った？ (past tense of realization)

She is talking about her understanding right now, so why the past tense? Japanese habitually uses the past tense at the moment you realize "oh, I had it wrong", because the speaker is looking back and pointing at their own (mistaken) idea of a moment ago.
Similar cases: あ、そうだった (ah, right, that's how it was), 君も来るんだったっけ (weren't you coming too?), 違った (oh, isn't that it?). Using the present form「違う？」would turn it into questioning the other person, a completely different flavor.

Key vocabulary

そろう
Everything (that should be there) is gathered. The transitive verb is 「そろえる」 (to gather, to complete a set).
イオン
Aeon, Japan's biggest chain of shopping malls. In Japanese dramas it is practically shorthand for "the only place to go in a small town."
フロア
Floor (of a building). From English "floor"; it sounds more like a commercial facility than「階」.
状態 じょうたい
State, condition. 「そのままの状態で」 = just as it is.

↑ Scenes on this page

What charge for the troublemaker at the ceremony?

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 What charge for the troublemaker at the ceremony? still

Asami and Mari are at their Coming-of-Age ceremony. Someone heckles during the mayor's speech, and the two talk about what crime that would be and what the consequences might be.
  1. 麻美

    Forcible obstruction of business, I guess?

  2. 真里

    Hmm, there are city employees here, so wouldn't it be obstruction of public duties?

  3. 麻美

    Then it's that one: up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 500,000 yen or something.

  4. 真里

    Right.

  5. 真里

    He'd probably be sent home first and then turn himself in later with his parents, wouldn't he?

  6. 麻美

    And in the questioning afterward, he'd say "I wanted to stand out, I went too far", and reflect.

  7. 麻美

    And depending on the company, he'd probably get fired.

  8. 麻美

    Even a student would get some kind of punishment, I'd think.

  9. 麻美／真里

    That's some serious resolve. / Yeah.

  10. 真里

    All just to stand out for a few minutes.

  11. 麻美

    Wow, they really went all out.

Speaking notes

～がために

〜がために: a trace of classical Japanese

「目立ちたいがために」 = "just because he wanted to stand out."
In old Japanese が meant「の」 (わが国 = my country), so 「〜がために」 was originally just 「〜のために」. In modern Japanese it survives only as a classical remnant, and it sounds stiff and written, and almost always carries disapproval, as in "all for something that petty...".
If you hear it in conversation, you can assume the speaker is being sarcastic. Pattern: dictionary form / たい-form + がために. 「生きんがために」 (in order to survive) is the most famous example.

威力業務妨害 vs 公務執行妨害

威力業務妨害 vs 公務執行妨害: decided by the target

The two offenses involve the same act (obstructing someone's work). The only difference is whether the person obstructed is a public official:
• ordinary companies and shops → 威力業務妨害罪
• a public official carrying out their duties → 公務執行妨害罪
Asami names the former, and Mari's remark「市の職員もいるから」 corrects it to the latter. The humor isn't in the law but in two young people at a Coming-of-Age ceremony correcting each other's legal terms by reflex: they are the same kind of person.

～によっては

〜によっては: partial affirmation with は

「会社によってはクビ」 = "depending on the company, you get fired" (some companies would fire you).
The key is that は: 「〜によって」 alone means just "depending on...", and adding は makes it "at least in some cases", implying "and in other cases not." So this sentence isn't "every company would fire him" but "some would, some wouldn't."
Similar: 人によっては (some people would...), 場合によっては (depending on the situation, sometimes...). This は is the core way Japanese says "can't generalize."

Key vocabulary

懲役 ちょうえき
Imprisonment with labor (a prison sentence with work). Imprisonment without labor is called「禁錮」(きんこ).
出頭 しゅっとう
To turn oneself in, to appear (at a police station, court, etc.).
クビ
To be fired. Written with「首」, from「首を切る」(cutting off the head, i.e. "to fire someone").
何かしら なにかしら
Some kind of, one thing or another. The「〜かしら」here is not the feminine sentence-ending particle but expresses uncertainty.
気合いが入る きあいがはいる
Pumped up, going all out. Used sarcastically here.

↑ Scenes on this page

Someone has to tell him the truth

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Someone has to tell him the truth still

At karaoke after the Coming-of-Age ceremony, Fukuda announces he'll change the music industry and everyone cheers him on. Mari thinks he's being flattered into a misunderstanding and wants to tell him the truth, but Asami thinks that's a bad idea.
  1. 真里

    Honestly, I think everyone's at fault too.

  2. 麻美／真里

    Everyone? / Because they gush over him like that,

  3. 真里

    I think part of him has gotten the wrong idea.

  4. 麻美

    Well, Fuku does have a naive side.

  5. 真里／麻美

    Maybe I should say something. / Huh? Say what?

  6. 真里

    Like, "I don't think you can do it."

  7. 麻美

    Ehh, isn't that a bit too blunt?

  8. 真里

    Of course, in the end it's his own decision, but

  9. 真里

    I think it'd be good to have at least one person who'd tell him the hard truth.

  10. 真里／麻美

    Hmm... / Hmm...

Speaking notes

言ってあげる — 授受動詞あげる

「あげる」, the second of the three giving/receiving verbs

あげる points from inside to outside: I (or my side) do something for someone else.
Mari says「厳しいことを言ってあげる人がいたほうがいい」, not just「言う人がいたほうがいい」. The extra あげる recasts "saying harsh things" as something done out of consideration for the other person: thanks to it, the line sounds not malicious but like she's worried about Fuku. Without it, "someone who says harsh things" is just someone who says unpleasant things.
Warning about usage: あげる carries a flavor of "I'm doing you a favor." So never say「〜てあげます」to a superior or a customer (「手伝ってあげます」 = "I'll graciously give you a hand"); say「お手伝いしましょうか」 instead. It is only safe with equals and juniors.

～すぎない？

〜すぎない？: softening criticism with a negative question

「ストレート過ぎない？」 = "Isn't that a bit too blunt?"
「〜すぎる」 (too much) is itself a negative judgment, and saying「ストレート過ぎるよ」 would be handing down a verdict. Turning it into a negative question「〜過ぎない？」 hands the right to judge back to the other person and makes it a joint consideration: "what do you think?"
This is the most common way to soften criticism in Japanese. Similar: 高すぎない？ (isn't that too expensive?), 早すぎない？ (isn't that too early?).

チヤホヤする

mimetic word + する as a verb

To fuss over, to flatter, to treat like a star.
Japanese has a large group of verbs made of "mimetic word + する". They describe the look of the scene rather than a specific action, so they are hard to translate literally: ペコペコする (bow and scrape), ウロウロする (wander around), ソワソワする (fidget restlessly), イライラする (be irritated; see Episode 7, scene 3). Learn these words together with the picture they paint; looking them up in a dictionary won't make them stick.

Key vocabulary

勘違い かんちがい
To get the wrong idea, to misread. Here it means being flattered into getting carried away and seeing oneself wrongly.
単純 たんじゅん
Naive, simple-minded. Slightly derogatory when said about a person.
ストレート
Straightforward, not beating around the bush. Also the baseball term for a fastball.
最終的に さいしゅうてきに
In the end, ultimately.

↑ Scenes on this page

Success isn't the only kind of happiness

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Success isn't the only kind of happiness still

Asami tries to talk Mari out of telling Fukuda the hard truth. He himself doesn't expect it to be easy to make it big, and success isn't the same as happiness. Setbacks teach you things too, so they should just cheer him on as childhood friends.
  1. 麻美

    I don't think he himself thinks he'll make it that easily.

  2. 真里

    Really? He was saying things like "I'll change the music industry", though.

  3. 麻美

    That's just lip service.

  4. 真里

    You think so?

  5. 麻美

    Besides, I don't think just selling well is the only kind of happiness.

  6. 麻美

    I think there are things you learn from setbacks, too.

  7. 真里

    True, but still...

  8. 麻美

    So whether he makes it or not,

  9. 麻美

    why not just cheer him on as childhood friends?

  10. 真里

    I see.

  11. 真里／麻美

    Okay then, let's cheer him on. / Yeah, I think that's best.

Speaking notes

応援してあげたら — 同じあげる、違う体温

応援してあげたら: the same あげる, a different warmth

Reading this scene alongside the previous one is the most thought-provoking part of the episode.
• Mari: 厳しいことを言ってあげる (saying harsh things, because it's for his own good)
• Asami: 応援してあげたら (cheering him on, just being by his side)
The same あげる, in the exact same direction (us → Fuku), but the two sentences have opposite temperatures.
This shows that あげる does not judge whether an action is good or bad; it only marks one thing: "this action is done for the other person." With this single word, Japanese cleanly separates "none of my business" from "I'm doing this for you"; whether the "for you" is comfort or a slap in the face, あげる doesn't care.
(To be more polite you can say「応援してあげられたら」, or「応援させていただく」 to people outside your circle.)

～とは思ってない

〜とは思ってない: と vs とは

「そう簡単に売れるとは思ってない」 = "he doesn't think he'll make it that easily."
Adding は to the quotation particle と brings in contrast and emphasis: "at least on this point he doesn't think so," implying "what he thinks about other things is another matter."
Compare: 売れると思ってない = he doesn't think he'll sell (plain statement); 売れるとは思ってない = he's not so naive as to think he'll sell (singling out this point to deny it). To stop Mari, Asami has to make this point sound firm, so the は can't be left out.

～ても～なくても

〜ても〜なくても: a pair meaning "either way"

「売れても売れなくても」 = "whether he sells or not."
The affirmative て-form + も and the negative なくて-form + も of the same verb are used as a pair to say "it's the same in both cases." This is the most natural way to say "no matter what" in Japanese.
Similar: あってもなくても (whether there is one or not), 行っても行かなくても (go or not, same thing), 高くても安くても (expensive or cheap).

Key vocabulary

リップサービス
Empty politeness, saying something just to be nice. From English "lip service", but used more lightly in Japanese.
挫折 ざせつ
A setback, a failure. The verb is 「挫折する」.
幼なじみ おさななじみ
A childhood friend. From 「幼い」 (young) + 「馴染み」 (familiar).
～として
In the capacity of..., as. 「幼なじみとして」 = as childhood friends.

↑ Scenes on this page

A classmate put on a pedestal

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 A classmate put on a pedestal still

At karaoke after the ceremony, Asami sits with Natsuki and Miho. They praise Asami for always being top of the class, and mention there was even a rumor that she was on her second time through life. Asami denies it out loud while thinking otherwise.
  1. 夏希

    You were always at the top of the class, Asami.

  2. 美穂

    At the top. We're on a different level from you.

  3. 麻美

    That's not true. / (It's just that I've lived a different number of times.)

  4. 夏希

    Seriously, there was a theory that you were a time-leaper.

  5. 美穂／夏希

    Ah! / Yeah, there was.

  6. 美穂

    People said it! "Isn't she on her second life?"

  7. 麻美

    People were saying that about me? I had no idea.

  8. 麻美（心）

    (Second life? It's more like my fourth.)

  9. 夏希

    But it makes you proud, doesn't it, having someone this amazing as a classmate.

  10. 美穂

    True, she's our pride and joy of a classmate.

  11. 美穂／夏希

    People like us wouldn't get to see her... / Wouldn't get to see her...

Speaking notes

会ってもらえない — 授受動詞もらう

「もらう」, the third giving/receiving verb: all three in one episode

もらう = I (my side) receive an action from the other person; the viewpoint always stays on my side.
「会ってもらえない」 literally means "can't receive the action of her meeting us", and what it really means is "she wouldn't deign to meet people like us."

The three giving/receiving verbs and their viewpoints (now all collected in this episode):
• あげる (scenes 7 and 8) = I do it for you. Viewpoint on me, the favor goes outward.
• くれる (Episode 7, scene 2「見てくれた？」) = you do it for me. Viewpoint on me, the favor comes inward.
• もらう (here) = I get you to do it for me. Viewpoint on me, but the other person's action is treated as something I have "received".

Why Asami feels a chill: the phrase もらえない presupposes that meeting is something you have to ask a superior for, and might be refused. With a single sentence, Miho puts Asami in a position to be looked up to. They are praising her, but the grammar they use places themselves below her. This is where Asami's inner feeling of 「何だか寂しく…」 comes from.

～どころか

〜どころか: far beyond the previous item

「２周目どころか４周目」 = "not just a second time, but a fourth."
どころか brings out the first item and then blows past it with the second: the first doesn't even apply, and the reality is far more extreme.
Similar: おいしいどころか最高だ (not just tasty, it's the best), 雨どころか嵐だ (it's not rain, it's a storm).
⚠ The direction can be positive or negative, depending on the second item: どころか only expresses "going way beyond," regardless of whether it goes beyond to the good side or the bad side.

言われてたの？

言われてたの？: passive + てる + の

「そんなこと言われてたの？」 = "I was being told that all along?"
Three layers are stacked: passive (言われる) = the action landed on me and I didn't know; てる (= ている) = it went on for some time back then; の = asking for confirmation and expressing surprise.
Together they give exactly the feeling of "everyone was talking about me like that behind my back." If she had only said「そんなこと言った？」, both the surprise and the passive's sense of being on the receiving end would be lost.

Linked to Episode 6: 「気を使われている」

read together with 「気を使われている」 in Episode 6

Episode 6: Asami is finally invited into the circle that exchanges stickers, but the two of them pick the least valuable ones, and she thinks 「気を使われている」 ("people are being considerate toward me").
This episode: she is praised as 「自慢の同級生」, and they say 「会ってもらえない」.
Both are passive/giving-receiving forms and both say the same thing: the other person is adjusting their distance from me. In Japanese, "being treated with consideration" or "being put on a pedestal" is never purely good: it means you have been placed in the category of "outsiders to be handled carefully." This is the price of the fourth life, and the thorn the whole episode keeps coming back to.

Key vocabulary

次元が違う じげんがちがう
On a different level. Used both for praising others and for self-deprecation in everyday talk.
タイムリープ
Time leap. A Japanese coinage (from "time leap"), a staple setting in Japanese anime, comics and games.
誇らしい ほこらしい
Proud (of). The subject is the person who feels pride.
自慢 じまん
Self-praise; (a person or thing) one is proud of. 「自慢の〜」 = my pride and joy...

↑ Scenes on this page

Fuku's wife vents at the station

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Fuku's wife vents at the station still

Asami runs into Shizuka, Fukuda's wife, at the station. Shizuka says his music is going nowhere and that bringing it up leads to fights. She wants children, but he says they can't have any until he makes it.
  1. 麻美／静香

    How's Fuku doing? / He's fine.

  2. 静香

    Well, the music side of things is going nowhere, though.

  3. 麻美

    I see. Yeah, it's a tough business.

  4. 静香

    I kind of wish he'd face reality by now.

  5. 麻美

    You've got to make a living, after all.

  6. 静香

    But if I say too much, it turns into a fight.

  7. 麻美

    Mm, I see, I see. So it's an atmosphere where it's hard to bring up.

  8. 静香

    Right... Actually, I'd like to have a child too, but

  9. 静香

    he says we can't have one until he makes it.

  10. 麻美（心）

    (On this one thing, there's nothing I can say for her.)

  11. 静香

    And my parents, every time we meet,

  12. 静香

    keep telling me they want to see a grandchild soon.

  13. 麻美／静香

    I see, that must be hard... / Yeah.

Speaking notes

言ってくんだよね は「くれる」ではない

言ってくんだよね is NOT 「くれる」

⚠ A listening trap. 「言ってくんだよね」 is a contraction of 「言ってくるんだよね」 (言ってくるんだ → 言ってくんだ), not 「言ってくれる」.
• 〜てくる = the action comes toward me, again and again, with a feeling of annoyance at having to put up with it. 「言ってくる」 = "they keep telling me."
• 〜てくれる = the other person does it for my sake, with gratitude.
The meanings are exactly opposite. Shizuka is complaining about her parents nagging her for a grandchild; if she had said「言ってくれる」 it would mean "they remind me because they care about me", which is not what she feels at all.
In listening, the two differ by a single kana (くん / くれ), so you can only tell from context. Rule of thumb: if the speaker is complaining, it's くる; if they're thanking someone, it's くれる.

言ってあげられない

言ってあげられない: あげる + potential + negative

「何も言ってあげられない」 = "there's nothing I can say for her."
Taking it apart: 言う (say) + あげる (do for her) + られる (can) + ない (not).
The key is that あげる: it is not "I won't say anything" but "I want to say something for her, yet I have no words." あげる first marks speaking as something done for the other person, and the negative potential says that it can't be done. One phrase captures Asami's helplessness.
With just「何も言えない」, it would only mean "I can't bring myself to speak"; the あげる adds "I stand in the position of wanting to help, but can't."
(Compare 「応援してあげたら」 in Episode 7, scene 8: the same あげる, but there she could do it, and here she can't.)

～てほしい

〜てほしい: whose wish is it?

「現実見てほしい」 = "I want him to face reality."
⚠ A set learners often mix up:
• 〜たい = I myself want to do it. 「現実を見たい」 = I want to face reality.
• 〜てほしい = I want someone else to do it. The doer is marked with に: 「彼に現実を見てほしい」.
• 〜てもらいたい = the same, but more polite and more like a request.
Shizuka is talking about what she expects of her husband, so only てほしい works.

～づらい vs ～にくい

〜づらい vs 〜にくい: psychological difficulty

「言いづらい空気」 = "an atmosphere where it's hard to say."
Both attach to the ます-stem of a verb, but:
• 〜にくい = objectively hard to do (physical, performance). 「この字は読みにくい」 = this writing is hard to read (it's messy).
• 〜づらい = psychologically hard to do, with an emotional burden for the speaker. 「言いづらい」 = can't bring yourself to say it (afraid of hurting someone, or of awkwardness).
づらい appears three times in this episode (here, 「断りづらい」 in Episode 7, scene 12, and 「言いづらい」 in Episode 7, scene 16), and all three mean "I could do it, but I can't because I'm worried about the other person." It is an undercurrent running through the episode.

Key vocabulary

さっぱり
(Followed by a negative, or used alone) not at all, no progress whatsoever. It can also mean "refreshing"; context tells them apart.
空気 くうき
The atmosphere (of a place or situation). 「空気を読む」 (reading the room) is a distinctively Japanese concept.
～たびに
Every time... Attaches to the dictionary form of a verb, or to a noun + の.
孫 まご
Grandchild.

↑ Scenes on this page

Putting separation on the table

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Putting separation on the table still

Asami tells Shizuka that if it is really so hard, it's not a bad thing to take separation into consideration. Shizuka admits she's thinking about divorce, and Asami adds that if she's going to decide, her twenties would be the time.
  1. 麻美

    Well, it's a bit awkward for someone unmarried like me to say this, but

  2. 麻美

    if you're really having such a hard time, Shi-chan,

  3. 麻美

    I don't think it's wrong to consider separating.

  4. 静香

    Ah...

  5. 静香

    Yeah, you're right. Actually, between you and me,

  6. 静香

    I've been thinking about divorce too.

  7. 麻美／静香

    Well, you would think about it. / Right.

  8. 麻美（心）

    (Here I'll deliberately drag it out.)

  9. 麻美／静香

    But, you know... / Hm?

  10. 麻美

    I don't think choosing divorce is ever a bad thing.

  11. 麻美

    It's just that, honestly, if you're going to decide,

  12. 麻美

    I think it's better to do it while you're still in your twenties.

  13. 静香

    You're right.

Speaking notes

～んだったら

〜んだったら: taking up what the other person said as a condition

「つらいんだったら」 = "if (as you say) it's really that hard".
〜んだったら = 〜のだったら, that is, conditional + のだ (explanation / picking up). It is not a hypothetical out of nowhere: it brings back what the other person just said and uses it as the condition: "since you say..., then...".
Compare:
• つらかったら = if it's hard (neutral hypothetical; the other person may not have said anything)
• つらいなら = if it's hard (picks up the topic, but stiffer)
• つらいんだったら = if it's as hard as you say (sticks closest to the other person's words)
Asami first listens to Shizuka pour out a whole stretch of complaints, and only then connects with this form, so her advice seems to grow out of Shizuka's own words rather than being forced on her. That is exactly the effect she wants.
(The 「ピント戻さないんだったら」 in Episode 7, scene 14 is the same form.)

言うのもあれなんだけど

言うのもあれなんだけど: the all-purpose 「あれ」

Here 「あれ」 is an all-purpose stand-in for an adjective you'd rather not say (rude, presumptuous, out of line...). The whole phrase means "it's a bit much for someone unmarried like me to say this."
Japanese strongly prefers to blur negative self-assessments, and 「あれ」 is the easiest tool for it. Similar: ちょっとあれですね (that's a bit, you know...), あれな人 (a somewhat problematic person).
⚠ This only works when both sides can guess the content: the less you say, the more you assume the other understands. (「立ち話もなんなんで」 in the next scene follows the same approach with a different word.)

視野に入れる

視野に入れる: why not just 「考える」?

「別れることを視野に入れる」 = "take separating into consideration."
If she had said「別れることを考えてもいいんじゃない」, she would be urging Shizuka to get a divorce. 「視野に入れる」 only says "let it come into your field of view"; it doesn't require thinking about it now, much less doing anything, so it lightens the weight of the advice as much as possible.
Because it's so light, Asami is able to say it at all. It is a classic cushioning phrase for making a sensitive suggestion, and very common in business too: 「値上げも視野に入れております」.

～うちのほうが

〜うちのほうが: while the state lasts

「20代のうちのほうがいい」 = "it's better while you're still in your twenties."
うち = the period during which some state has not yet ended, implying "once it's over, it's gone."
Similar: 若いうちに (while you're young), 熱いうちに食べて (eat it while it's hot), 忘れないうちにメモする (jot it down before you forget).
⚠ Difference from「〜間に」: 間に is just an objective stretch of time, while うちに carries the urgency of "the chance is limited and won't wait". That urgency is exactly what Asami wants.

Key vocabulary

ここだけの話 ここだけのはなし
Just between us (don't pass it on). A set opening for sharing a secret.
あえて
Deliberately, on purpose (doing something even though it's unnecessary or meets resistance).
引っ張る ひっぱる
To drag out, to string along. Literally "to pull". Here it means deliberately not giving the conclusion right away.
決断 けつだん
A decision, making up one's mind. Much heavier than「決める」.
決して～ない けっして～ない
Never... Always paired with a negative.

↑ Scenes on this page

Inviting teacher Mita to tea

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Inviting teacher Mita to tea still

Asami meets teacher Mita at the station and asks him to have tea at the Gusto next door, saying it's not a good place to talk standing up. He first says he doesn't have much time, but finally agrees to take the train one later.
  1. 麻美

    Um, if it's all right, standing here talking isn't really...

  2. 麻美／三田

    Would you like to have some tea? / Tea?

  3. 麻美

    It's a bit of a sensitive matter, so if you don't mind, at the Gusto over there.

  4. 三田

    Tea, huh... I don't have that much time, you know.

  5. 麻美（心）

    (He should find this hard to refuse.)

  6. 三田

    Well then, I'll take the train one later.

  7. 麻美／三田

    Thank you very much. / Oh, sorry about this.

  8. 麻美（心）

    (Good.)

Speaking notes

立ち話もなんなんで

立ち話もなんなんで: swallowing the evaluation you can't say

「なんだ」 works like the 「あれ」 on the previous card: it swallows a negative evaluation that is awkward to say aloud (rude, awkward, unsettling...) and leaves only a demonstrative.
「立ち話もなんですから」 = "standing here talking is a bit... (proper / convenient / comfortable)."
This is a set opening for inviting someone to talk somewhere else, and extremely useful, in business and daily life alike. Similar: ここではなんですから、奥へどうぞ (it's not ideal here, please come inside).
⚠ The adjective that follows is never spoken: saying it would seem petty; swallowing it is the polite way.

内容も内容なんで

内容も内容なんで: "N も N だ" hands the evaluation to the listener

The same noun is repeated twice, linked by も…だ, meaning "this N really is that kind of N", implying "so you understand."
「内容も内容なんで」 = "given what it's about" (not something to discuss out on the street).
Similar: 時期も時期だし (given the time of year), 値段も値段だから (given the price), 年も年だし (given my age).
The beauty is that Japanese uses repetition instead of an adjective, leaving the listener to fill in the judgment. The speaker makes no judgment and therefore takes no responsibility, which is just what Asami needs, as she doesn't want teacher Mita to think hard about what the content actually is.

遅らせる

遅らせる: intransitive, transitive, causative

「電車１本だけ遅らせる」 = "I'll take the train one later."
• 遅れる (intransitive) = be late, run behind. 「電車が遅れる」 = the train is delayed.
• 遅らせる (transitive / causative) = make it late. The subject is the person who decides.
Mita is deliberately pushing his own schedule back, so 遅らせる is required. If he had said「電車が遅れる」, the train itself would be running late, which means something quite different.
And this is just the result Asami wanted: not for the train to be late, but for him to choose not to take that one.

断りづらいはず

断りづらいはず: a calculated 「づらい」

This is the second 〜づらい in the episode (the first was 「言いづらい」 in Episode 7, scene 10).
「断りづらい」 = hard to refuse. It doesn't mean "can't refuse"; it means "refusing would make him look petty." Asami stacks three pressures: (1) an outsider (Shizuka) is present, (2) he's a teacher and has to act like one, (3) she has phrased things so politely that refusing would be rude.
She isn't making a request; she's creating a situation where the cost of refusing is too high. The line 「これは断りづらいはず」 in her head is her checking her own calculation.

Key vocabulary

立ち話 たちばなし
Talking while standing, a chat on one's feet.
ガスト
A Japanese family-restaurant chain (part of the Skylark group); cheap and everywhere, the go-to place in Japanese dramas for a casual sit-down.
内容 ないよう
Content.
～本 ～ほん
A counter for long, thin things. Train and bus runs are counted with 「本」: １本 (いっぽん), ２本 (にほん), ３本 (さんぼん).

↑ Scenes on this page

Her sister asks if she's on her second life

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Her sister asks if she's on her second life still

Back at her parents' home, Asami is asked by her younger sister Haruka whether she is on her second time through life, because she was top of the class from elementary school to high school. Haruka adds that, as Asami's sister, teachers expected a lot of her at first and were then disappointed.
  1. 遥

    Anyway, sis, you're on your second life, aren't you?

  2. 麻美

    Huh?

  3. 遥／麻美

    "Huh?" Otherwise it doesn't add up, does it? / What doesn't?

  4. 遥

    I mean, you were top of the class all through elementary, middle and high school.

  5. 麻美／遥

    Ah, well, yeah. / That's impossible in one lifetime.

  6. 麻美／遥

    That's not true. / Me, I...

  7. 遥

    Being your sister, the bar gets raised super high for me.

  8. 麻美／遥

    Is that so? / It is.

  9. 遥

    On the first day of school, the teachers already look up to me a little.

  10. 遥

    Then by about the end of the first term, it turns into "huh?"

  11. 麻美

    But you do pretty well in school too, Haruka, don't you?

Speaking notes

上げられる／一目置かれる — 連続する受身

being raised / being looked up to: stacked passives

Haruka describes her situation with two passives in a row: ハードルを上げられる (the bar gets raised) and 一目置かれる (is regarded with some respect).
Japanese almost always uses the passive to say "this was put on me by others and I had no choice." If you render it actively ("the teachers respect me a bit"), that sense of being helpless is lost, and it is exactly the emotional core of her whole speech.

Note that neither passive is a bad thing: being looked up to is meant kindly. But the Japanese passive doesn't distinguish good from bad; it only marks "the action comes from outside and I have to take it." So even praise can be expressed with a passive when you don't want the burden that comes with it.
(Read this together with 「会ってもらえない」 in Episode 7, scene 9: the sisters are really talking about the same thing, that being put on a pedestal is a kind of isolation.)

つじつまが合わない

つじつまが合わない: an idiom with an interesting origin

= the logic doesn't add up, it doesn't make sense.
つじつま (辻褄) originally comes from sewing kimono: 「辻」 is the point where seams cross, and 「褄」 is the corner of the hem. When those two line up, the garment lies flat. It was extended to mean "front and back match up."
Common forms: つじつまが合う／合わない, つじつまを合わせる (to patch up a story so it holds together).
By using this word, Haruka is saying: the cloth of "your grades" and the cloth of "an ordinary person" can't be stitched together.

～ってなんの

〜ってなんの: contraction of 〜ってなるの

「あれ？ってなんの」 is a contraction of「あれ？ってなるの」 (なるの → なんの; the ら-row sound turns into ん, the same pattern as 「断んない」 in Episode 7, scene 4).
「〜ってなる」 = "get that reaction / end up in that state": the quotation particle って followed directly by なる, used to describe a shift in one's mental state. It is very colloquial.
Similar: ヤバいってなる (you go "uh-oh"), え、マジ？ってなった (I went "wait, seriously?").
⚠ This form appears almost only in speech; in writing you'd have to restore it to something like 「〜と思うようになる」.

～ってことで

〜ってことで (= ということで)

「お姉ちゃんの妹ってことで」 = "just because I'm your sister (that being the situation)".
〜ということで = "since it's the case that..." / "on the basis that...", and in speech it almost always contracts to 〜ってことで.
Two common uses: (1) giving a reason (here) = because of that status; (2) wrapping up = 「じゃ、そういうことで」 ("so, that's settled"), the all-purpose phrase for ending a topic.

Key vocabulary

ハードル
A hurdle, the height of what is required. 「ハードルが高い／を上げる」.
一目置く いちもくおく
To give someone special respect. A term from Go: the weaker player is allowed to place a stone first.
学期 がっき
A school term. Japanese schools usually have three terms a year (the first starts in April).
～なんか
Attached after a person to be modest or self-mocking: 「私なんか」 = someone like me.

↑ Scenes on this page

Which geniuses can skip refocusing the microscope?

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Which geniuses can skip refocusing the microscope? still

In the lab, a shared microscope is always left at the previous user's focus. At lunch, Asami and her senior colleague Tae talk about what kind of genius could get away with not resetting the focus, naming Sota Fujii, Shohei Ohtani and Messi.
  1. 麻美／多江

    He really is a genius, after all. / But still...

  2. 多江

    he's not the kind of genius who doesn't have to reset the microscope's focus.

  3. 麻美

    True. If he's not going to reset the focus,

  4. 麻美

    he'd have to be a bit more of a genius.

  5. 多江／麻美

    Right? / Yeah.

  6. 多江

    By the way, who would be a genius who doesn't have to reset the focus?

  7. 麻美

    Ah, for right now, someone like Sota Fujii, I guess.

  8. 多江／麻美

    Ah, he wouldn't have to reset it. / And Shohei Ohtani, too.

  9. 多江

    Yeah, he wouldn't have to. In fact, he could leave everything out.

  10. 麻美／多江

    Right. / And Messi.

  11. 麻美

    Yeah, the soccer player.

  12. 多江

    With that dribbling, he wouldn't have to reset the focus.

  13. 麻美

    Right.

Speaking notes

～ほどの

〜ほどの: the grammar behind this whole gag

「〜なくてもいいほどの天才ではない」 = "not a genius to the extent that he doesn't have to reset it."
ほど marks a baseline of degree, and followed by a negative it means "doesn't reach that line."
Structure: [clause] + ほどの + [noun] + ではない.

The whole scene's humor rests on this one piece of grammar: they turn "genius" from an adjective into a measuring stick, with the scale being "whether you qualify to skip resetting the microscope's focus." Then they solemnly measure Sota Fujii, Shohei Ohtani and Messi against it.
Similar: 驚くほどの美しさ (astonishing beauty), 言うほどのことではない (not worth mentioning).

～なくてもいい ⇄ ～なきゃいけない

〜なくてもいい vs 〜なきゃいけない

This pair runs through the whole scene, and is a handle for listening:
• 〜なくてもいい = you don't have to do it (exemption from an obligation)
• 〜なきゃいけない (= なければいけない) = you must do it (imposing an obligation)
Asami's line「ピント戻さないんだったら、もうちょっと天才じゃなきゃいけない」 turns the logic around: if you enjoy the exemption, you have to deserve it. That is where the real humor is.
⚠ Listening tip: 「なくても」 and 「なきゃ」 both sit in the middle of the sentence and signal the speaker's stance, so make sure you catch them.

～しね

〜しね: listing a reason + asking for agreement

「天才ですしね」 = "he's a genius, after all."
• し = lists a reason, implying "and there are other reasons I won't mention"
• ね = seeks the other person's agreement
Together they make the most natural way to chime in: it shows agreement while leaving some room.
Similar: 雨も降ってるしね (and it's raining, too), 疲れてるしね (we're tired, after all).

出しっぱ

出しっぱ: short for 「〜っぱなし」

「出しっぱ」 is short for「出しっぱなし」, meaning "left out, not put away".
〜っぱなし (= 放しっぱなし) = leaving something as it is after doing it, and it almost always carries a note of blame.
Common: つけっぱなし (leaving the light or TV on), 言いっぱなし (saying something and not following up), 出しっぱなし (not putting things away), 立ちっぱなし (standing the whole time; this one carries no blame).
Pattern: verb ます-stem + っぱなし.

Key vocabulary

顕微鏡 けんびきょう
Microscope.
ピント
Focus. From Dutch "brandpunt". 「ピントが合う／ずれる」.
何なら なんなら
If anything, if it comes to that (introduces a further option).
ドリブル
Dribbling (in soccer, basketball).
実際 じっさい
In fact, actually.

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Dad picks his best clothes to receive the visitor

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Dad picks his best clothes to receive the visitor still

Younger sister Haruka is bringing her boyfriend home on Sunday. Her father Hiroshi is convinced he's coming to ask for her hand and worries about what to wear. Asami suggests he put on his "first-team" clothes.
  1. 寛

    I mean, what the one being told "please give me your daughter" should wear.

  2. 麻美

    The one being told...

  3. 麻美

    Isn't ordinary fine?

  4. 寛

    No, ordinary or not, I really can't wear this.

  5. 麻美

    Ah, yeah, this really wouldn't do.

  6. 麻美／寛

    To be on the safe side, why not go with your first-team clothes? / Ah, thanks.

  7. 寛

    First team, huh... Ah, first team.

  8. 寛

    Wait a moment.

  9. 寛

    Ah, first team, right. First team.

  10. 寛

    I guess it's here.

  11. 寛／麻美

    How about this? / Yeah, it looks good.

  12. 麻美／寛

    It looks clean and neat. / Right?

  13. 寛

    Okay, I'll go with this.

Speaking notes

娘さんを僕に下さい

娘さんを僕に下さい: the oldest form of the giving verbs

The set line for asking a bride's parents for her hand; literally "please give me your daughter."
Note that 下さい is the honorific imperative of くれる: it asks the other person to "give to me," with the direction pointing inward. In other words, the grammatical skeleton of this classic line is the same giving/receiving verbs that keep appearing in this episode, treating the daughter as the thing being given.
That is why it sounds quite old-fashioned today (a daughter is not an object), and young people in Japan mostly say it only as a joke. In the show, father and daughter play along with each other, and the old-fashioned feel is the whole joke.
(Compare the three in this episode: くれる in scene 2, あげる in scenes 7 and 8, もらう in scene 9. This is the honorific form of くれる.)

言われる側

言われる側: passive + 側 = turning a position into a noun

「言われる側」 = "the side that gets told".
Japanese uses 「〜側（がわ）」 to turn a whole position into a noun, which is very handy:
する側／される側 (the doing side / the side done to), 送る側／受け取る側 (sender / receiver), 教える側 (the teaching side), 会社側／労働者側 (the company side / the workers' side).
The passive 「言われる側」 is needed here because the father is the one being asked: he does nothing himself and can only sit there waiting for someone to say it. His nervousness comes from this passive position, which is why he agonizes even over what to wear.

～にしとけば？

〜にしとけば？ (= 〜にしておけば, a suggestion)

「一軍の服にしとけば？」 = "why not just go with the first-team clothes?"
Taking it apart: 〜にする (decide on this one) + 〜ておく (do it in advance) + 〜ば (suggestion) → 〜にしておけば → contracted in speech to 〜にしとけば.
ておく is the key: it means "get it ready beforehand for what comes later", which fits "pick out the clothes before the guest comes."
⚠ Ending the sentence with a rising 〜ば？ makes it a very casual suggestion ("how about...?"). It's fine with family and friends, but to a superior you would say 「〜たらいかがでしょうか」.

一軍

一軍: a baseball term in everyday use

A baseball term: 一軍 = the first team, 二軍 = the second team (farm team).
In daily life it has been extended to mean "the best of what you have, the stuff you can show off", with very wide use: 一軍の服 (the good clothes you wear to see guests), 一軍のコスメ (your go-to good cosmetics), 二軍の食器 (the casual dishes for everyday).
The father doesn't catch on at first (「一軍ね… あっ 一軍か」) because this is his daughters' generation's way of speaking; that little pause shows the age gap between father and daughter.

Key vocabulary

服装 ふくそう
Attire, outfit.
清潔感 せいけつかん
A clean-cut, tidy impression. The top keyword when Japanese people judge appearance, more important than "good-looking."
一応 いちおう
Just in case, to be on the safe side, more or less. An extremely common cushioning adverb.
まずい
Not good, improper. It can also mean "tastes bad"; context tells them apart.
っつっても
Colloquial contraction of 「と言っても」. "That said."

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Classmates at an awkward distance

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 Classmates at an awkward distance still

Back in her hometown, Asami has tea with Mari and runs into Natsuki and Miho. After a few words the two leave, and Asami and Mari talk about the subtle atmosphere and this kind of distance between classmates.
  1. 麻美

    Right. But if those two didn't mean it that way,

  2. 麻美

    it'd be awkward, so it's hard for us to say anything first.

  3. 真里

    It is hard to say. Well, they might feel the same way, though.

  4. 麻美

    But even just now, for a moment, an atmosphere of "which is it?" drifted by,

  5. 麻美／真里

    didn't it? / Ah, yeah, it did.

  6. 麻美

    Right?

  7. 真里

    If I'd said something, would those two have sat down here?

  8. 真里／麻美

    Who knows. Well, it's a delicate thing. / Can't say, can we?

  9. 真里

    You know, classmates at this kind of distance

  10. 真里／麻美

    are hard. / They are hard.

Speaking notes

空気が流れる

空気が流れる: the atmosphere drifts by

「これどっち？みたいな空気が流れた」 = "an atmosphere of 'which is it?' drifted by."
Japanese calls the shared feeling that everyone present senses but no one voices 「空気」 (air). It is treated as something you can act on:
• 空気を読む (read the air = read the room)
• 空気が流れる (the atmosphere drifts by)
• 空気が重くなる (the atmosphere gets heavy)
• 空気を壊す (ruin the mood)
• KY = 空気が読めない (someone who can't read the room)
Here「空気」 means something understood without being said, yet binding on everyone. This whole scene is about the dozens of seconds in which two people are caught in that 「空気」.

そんなつもりじゃなかったら

そんなつもりじゃなかったら: つもり = intention

つもり is not only "plan to". More often it refers to (what one believes to be) one's thinking or intention.
• 行くつもりです = I intend to go (a plan)
• そんなつもりじゃなかった = I didn't mean it that way (an intention)
• 分かってるつもりだった = I thought I understood (a self-assumption)
Here it is the second type: "if they hadn't meant to sit down together in the first place."
The whole dilemma of this conversation hangs on this word: each side is guessing whether the other has a 「つもり」, and neither dares speak first to find out, so nobody's つもり ever gets realized.

言いづらい（本集第三次）

言いづらい (third time in the episode)

The three 〜づらい in this episode form one complete line when placed together:
1. Episode 7, scene 10: Shizuka's 「言いづらい空気なんだね」: between husband and wife, the words stick in the throat
2. Episode 7, scene 12: Asami's 「これは断りづらいはず」: the teacher can't refuse for the sake of appearances
3. Here: 「こっちからは言いづらいよね」: old classmates who don't dare speak first
None of them mean "can't do it"; they mean "can't bring myself to say it because I'm thinking about the other person's position." That is the whole weight of づらい as distinct from にくい: the obstacle isn't in the thing itself but between the people.

座ってたかな

座ってたかな: past counterfactual + かな

「私が言ったら,２人ここ座ってたかな」 = "if I'd said something, would those two have sat down here?"
Past tense + かな expresses a retrospective guess about a possibility that has already been missed (counterfactual).
• 座るかな = will they sit (from now on)?
• 座ってたかな = would they have sat (if I'd...)? It's over, and asking is pointless.
かな is a self-addressed question that doesn't really demand an answer, which is why Asami replies only 「分かんないよね～」. Both of them know the question has no answer.

Key vocabulary

一瞬 いっしゅん
A moment, an instant.
微妙 びみょう
Hard to say, can't say for sure, a bit iffy. In modern Japanese it is often used as a soft negative.
距離感 きょりかん
A sense of distance (between people), how close one is.
向こう むこう
The other side, the other party. Refers to the other person in the conversation.

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A-chin, which life are you on?

This scene

ブラッシュアップライフ Episode 7 A-chin, which life are you on? still

Mari pulls out the purikura they took together at Round One back then. She says Asami's back at the machine had a sadness that didn't fit a middle schooler, then asks: which time through life are you on?
  1. 麻美（心）

    (Truth is, I remember it very clearly.)

  2. 真里

    A sadness you wouldn't expect from a second-year middle schooler was just pouring off your back.

  3. 麻美

    Really? Is that so?

  4. 麻美（心）

    (That must have been the sadness of a 130-year-old.)

  5. 真里

    Then I spoke to you, and then we took this purikura.

  6. 麻美

    I see...

  7. 真里

    Come to think of it, there's something I've wanted to ask you for a while...

  8. 麻美

    Yeah, what is it?

  9. 真里

    A-chin, which lap are you on?

  10. 麻美

    Huh? What?

  11. 真里

    Which lap? Of life.

  12. 麻美

    Of life...?

Speaking notes

～とは思えない

〜とは思えない: a far stronger denial than 「思わない」

「中２とは思えない哀愁」 = "a sadness you can't believe belongs to a second-year middle schooler."
• 〜と思わない = I don't think so (a plain negative opinion)
• 〜とは思えない = negative of the potential form = I simply can't think so (the evidence is right in front of me and I can't accept it even if I try)
The latter is far stronger and is often used to describe a striking contrast.
Similar: 60歳とは思えない若さ (youthfulness you'd never take for 60), 素人とは思えない (doesn't seem like an amateur), 本気とは思えない (doesn't seem serious).
And in the show this line is literally true: it really wasn't the sadness of a second-year middle schooler, but of a 130-year-old.

バ～って

バ～って: mimetic word + って as an adverb

「背中からバ～って出てたよ」 = "it was just bursting out of your back."
Japanese allows a mimetic word with って attached to work directly as an adverb, and you can stretch the vowel freely for emphasis (バッと → バ～って). This is the most vivid kind of colloquial expression, and the hardest to look up.
Similar: ドーンって来た (it hit with a thud), シーンってなった (it suddenly went dead silent), パーッと行こう (let's go all out and have fun).
⚠ This って isn't a quotation; it brings in the mimetic word as "that kind of look" as a whole. You can only learn these words through the picture, not through a translation.

声をかける

声をかける: why not 「話しかける」?

「私が声かけて」 = "I was the one who spoke to you."
• 声をかける = to approach someone (not yet in conversation) and speak up first; the emphasis is on "taking that step"
• 話しかける = to start talking to someone; the emphasis is on the talking itself
It has to be 声をかける here: Mari isn't saying "I talked to you" but "I was the one who walked over that day."
Read this together with Episode 7, scene 4: back then she carefully asked 「一緒にプリ撮らない？」 and said 「よかった、断られなくて」. It turns out she put so much effort into that one step, and has remembered it all these years.

何周目？

何周目？: the heart of the whole drama

周目 (しゅうめ) = which lap / which round. It comes from video-game talk, 「２周目」: after clearing a game, you play it again with your memories and items intact. That is exactly what the drama ブラッシュアップライフ is about, so the whole show uses this word instead of 「人生をやり直す」.
With this one question, Mari blows open the secret of Asami's four lives. What's more cutting is how she asks: not "are you on your second go?" (a yes/no question that can be denied), but straight to「何周目？」, a question word that presupposes "you're definitely past your first." Slipping a premise into a question like this is called 「前提を含む質問」 in Japanese, and by merely answering, the person asked is accepting the premise.
All Asami can get out is 「人生…？」. We find out what happens in Episode 8.

Key vocabulary

哀愁 あいしゅう
Pathos, loneliness. Mostly used for outward signs such as a back or a melody.
背中 せなか
The back. 「背中が語る」 ("the back speaks") is a common expression.
そういえば
Come to think of it, by the way. A transition word for when something comes to mind.
周目 しゅうめ
Which lap / which playthrough. A typical example of game vocabulary entering everyday speech.

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