Quotes
Japanese meaning of だがそれがいい！！
— Keiji Maeda ／ Hana no Keiji
Voice sample:
だがそれがいい！！ (Daga sore ga ii!!)
English Translation:
But that's what makes it good!!
Original Scene & Cultural Context
Scene in the Original Work:
A retainer of the Maeda clan is about to be forced to commit seppuku after damaging a precious suit of armor. Keiji Maeda, a free-spirited kabukimono, appears at the execution, points to the battle scars, and declares that the scars are exactly what make it good.
日本語で読む
前田家の家臣が、大切な鎧を傷つけた責任を取らされ、切腹させられそうになる。処刑の場に現れた傾奇者・前田慶次は、戦いの傷を指して、その傷こそが良いのだと言い放つ。
Cultural Context:
The line turns what everyone sees as a flaw into a strength, which fits Keiji's free and generous character. It is an original line of the manga, not found in the novel it is based on. Today it is widely used to say you like something because of its quirks, for example a strange design or an inconvenient old car.
日本語で読む
皆が欠点だと思っているものを長所に変えてしまう、自由で器の大きい慶次らしいセリフ。原作小説にはない、漫画オリジナルのセリフ。今では、変わったデザインや不便な古い車のように、クセがあるからこそ好きだと言うときに広く使われている。
Grammar & Learning Points
Grammar Point
•「だが」= but (a little stiff, often male). •「それが」= that (is the thing that). •「いい」= is good.
日本語で読む
•「だが」は「だけど」の硬い言い方で、男性的な響き。•「それが」は「それこそが」。•「いい」は良い。
Trap for English Speakers
だが is stronger than でも or だけど and sounds bold. The joke is that the speaker first admits the flaw, then says the flaw itself is good: "Yes, it's weird. But that's what I like."
日本語で読む
「だが」は「でも」「だけど」より強く、きっぱりした響き。欠点をまず認めてから、その欠点こそ良いと言うのがポイント。「確かに変だ。だが、それがいい」という使い方をする。
Example
Example 1Basic Example
この店は狭くて古い。だがそれがいい。
This shop is small and old. But that's what makes it good.
Example 2Applied Example
（ボロボロの忍び装束を笑われた忍者が）確かに穴だらけだ。だがそれがいい！！
(A ninja laughed at for his ragged outfit) "Sure, it's full of holes. But that's what makes it good!!"
Quick check
Meaning
What does 「だがそれがいい！！」 mean?