What is a good way to translate ではある?


I came across the following sentence at one point.

> もともとおかしな話ではあった。

I did some research on ではある, because I wanted to understand this term better.
This is what I found.

  * [The difference between “ではある” and “である” and “です”?](https://oshiete.goo.ne.jp/qa/8492844.html)
  * [Weblio entry on “ではある”](https://ejje.weblio.jp/content/%E3%81%A7%E3%81%AF%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B)

The answers in the first link indicate that “ではある” is an “X is Y” statement,
but it implies that there is a slight possibility that “X is not Y”.

The Weblio entry indicates that the “は” in “ではある” is the “contrastive は”.

Since the above sentence is a comment on a statement that someone made, I
think some possible translations are as follows.

> It was an odd statement from the first, but maybe it wasn’t.
>
> It might or might not be an odd statement from the first.

I think I have the right idea, but I have to admit nuances can be difficult to
translate. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

EDIT:

The context goes something like this:

A club of high school students attack one high school student. But that
student beats the stuffing out of them. Emi, the club leader, is the only one
among them left standing. Furious, she says to the high school student,
「冷子、あんたタダの漫研じゃないね！？」(“Reiko, you aren’t _just_ CA, are you!?”) Then the
narrator says もともとおかしな話ではあった。The narration also explains the context
surrounding Emi's statement.

Does this help in answering the question?




After seeing the context I think it means...

> "Come to think of it now, there was something fishy/strange about it from
> the beginning (but we somehow followed the command)."

The は is contrastive. It marks, or limits, the "scope" of であった. (部分的な肯定?) It's
like "I must admit that it sounded strange/fishy, at least partially/to some
extent, if not totally."

Similar use of this は:

> 「反対か賛成かと問われれば、賛成で **は** ある。」(implying "not fully agree")  
>  「免許は、持って **は** います。」(implying "don't drive")  
>  「結婚したいと思って **は** います。」(implying そんなに強く思ってない or でも特に何もしてない)

* * *

I don't think the 話 is "statement", but the 話 in phrases like
「ばかげた話だ」、「変な話だ」、「ひどい話だ」 etc.

> まったく、ひどい話だ！ "That's terrible!"  
>  ばかげた話だ！ "That's absurd!" "That's utter nonsense!"




After seeing the context I think it means...

> "Come to think of it now, there was something fishy/strange about it from
> the beginning (but we somehow followed the command)."

The は is contrastive. It marks, or limits, the "scope" of であった. (部分的な肯定?) It's
like "I must admit that it sounded strange/fishy, at least partially/to some
extent, if not totally."

Similar use of this は:

> 「反対か賛成かと問われれば、賛成で **は** ある。」(implying "not fully agree")  
>  「免許は、持って **は** います。」(implying "don't drive")  
>  「結婚したいと思って **は** います。」(implying そんなに強く思ってない or でも特に何もしてない)

* * *

I don't think the 話 is "statement", but the 話 in phrases like
「ばかげた話だ」、「変な話だ」、「ひどい話だ」 etc.

> まったく、ひどい話だ！ "That's terrible!"  
>  ばかげた話だ！ "That's absurd!" "That's utter nonsense!"

