What do いっぱいいっぱい and 余裕 mean in this context?

Question

I'm translating this manga, but I'm having a hard time because I don't know what's the best way to translate these words

Context: see pics... sorry that there are 7 pics, but I felt that explaining everything going on in there would be too hard and confusing. いっぱいいっぱい appears on page 3 and 6. Basically, I'm not sure if it's meant to have a positive or negative meaning in this context. I know that it's always used to talk about something negative. And 余裕, I understood it as having the mind at ease so I translated as laid-back, but I don't know if it's correct.

NOTE: before reading, I want to state that this is a romance story and Yuu has feelings for her senpai, but she's in denial/tsundere for many reasons.

In this conversation, Natsuki (short black hair) and Yuu are talking about senpai and Yuu's attitude regarding said senpai. Yuu is complaining about her senpai, and Natsuki laughs because it's the first time Yuu complains about something and says Yuu is いっぱいいっぱい. Then Natsuki talks about how Yuu used to be/have 余裕(laid-back?) all the time, and implies that the fact that Yuu isn't laid-back anymore now is because Yuu has found something (or someone in this case) that she actually cares about (that's why Natsuki mentions how Yuu never cried or showed emotion when they won or lost a softball match, unlike her teammates). Then Natsuki says that she just wanted to see Yuu being いっぱいいっぱい at least once. And at the end Natsuki thinks it's a bit frustrating that Yuu wasn't いっぱいいっぱい about softball.

That's why I'm confused, the word means something negative and since Yuu is complaining and judging by her confused reaction it should mean something negative, but Natsuki talks about this word as it is something positive. I don't know if I should translate it as "fed up" (negative) or something like "fulfilled" (positive). I can't get what Natsuki means by using いっぱいいっぱい. I find the use of 余裕 a bit confusing as well, but I guess both are related in this case. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Except for when it means the super-literal "one cup/glass after another", 「いっぱいいっぱい / 一杯一杯」 would always hold at least a somewhat negative meaning. Those meanings would include:

・ "up to one's neck"

・ "not in the right frame of mind"

・ "swamped"

・ "to have too much on one's plate"

・ "overwhelmed"

Hope you find one of the above fitting in the context this time.

Answer 2

Goo's dictionary (デジタル大辞泉) has this definition:

１ 少しの余裕もないさま。「もう一杯一杯で、これ以上は入らない」

２ 特に、金銭の支払い・貸借などで、最大限に達しているさま。「銀行からも一杯一杯に借りている」

1 Without any [spare] room left. It's completely full, any more will not fit.

2 especially about money payments, lending and borrowing: arriving to the absolute limit. I'm borrowing all I can from the bank too.

EDICT (via Jisho) offers:

2. to the limit; to the fullest extent; absolutely the limit; the best one can do; breaking even

So it's basically an opposite to 余裕(が)ある and is used in the similar way here.

Let's take the first passage:

だって初めて見た
侑{ゆう}が愚痴{ぐち}るくらいいっぱいいっぱいになってるなんて　
おまえいつもどこか余裕{よゆう}ある感じだったから

here, いっぱいいっぱい follows 愚痴るくらい (possible translation "to go as far as [actually] complaining") and is contrasted against the following おまえいつもどこか余裕ある感じだったから ("you always seemed to have a lot of spare capacity", i.e. "laid back/relaxed").

なんて seems to emphasize the fact of Yuu being いっぱいいっぱい. It is always tricky to translate but one possible version could be:

Well, it's the first time I see see you become so preoccupied [with some matter] to go as far as vent about it, because you usually seem to be so laid back [about things].

Second one:

今 侑に余裕がないなら 
悪いけどちょっと嬉しい
一回ぐらいおまえがいっぱいいっぱいになってるところ見たかったんだ
それがソフトじゃなかったのはちょっと悔しいけど

Again, 余裕 is mentioned along with いっぱいいっぱい.

My version:

I'm a little sorry to say that, but I'm happy to see you flustered. I've wanted to see you getting fully preoccupied with something at least once. Although I'm a little sad it was not about softball.

Answer 3

いっぱいいっぱい can be used to talk about feelings or work, but here it means "to be preoccupied/engrossed with sth/someone". As of 余裕, I'm not sure, but I think saying there's no 余裕 is a consequence of being preoccupied. So it would be being restless.