Teacher's Activity Log

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Teacher's Activity Log (Miranian: 教師の活動記録 Kyōshi no katsudō kiroku) is a Gylimanga, which was later adapted into a Gylianime. Created by Yuzuki Eba and Rin Eba, it is an autobiographical slice of life comedy about Yuzuki's experiences working as a teacher in Gylias.

The manga was published from 1979 to 1984 in five volumes, and later adapted into an anime series on GTV4, which ran from 1990 to 1992.

Plot

A blank panel from the manga, used to illustrate its making. The final panel has Yuzuki telling her Miranian Gylian students about her hometown in Kirisaki.

At the start of the 1960s, Yuzuki and Rin Eba are sisters from Kirisaki. Yuzuki has recently achieved qualification as a teacher, and is looking forward to starting her career. A family friend who's returned from Gylias suggests that she move there to work as a teacher. She dose so, accompanied by Rin, who finds work as a illustrator.

The manga details Yuzuki's experience as a teacher, from the initial culture clash of moving to Gylias, to adjusting to the radically different public education system, to becoming an esteemed teacher among her students. Other themes explored include the image of Miranian Gylians, Gylias-Kirisaki relations, and the sisters' outsider view of Gylias' political culture, economy, and society.

The final volume ends with the sisters deciding to take a hiatus and return home during the wretched decade. As they embark on their flight, Rin jokingly suggests to Yuzuki that their experience would make a good manga.

Background

Teacher's Activity Log is autobiographical, drawn from Yuzuki and Rin's experience living in Gylias. While Yuzuki had never written manga professionally before, she had honed her skills by writing long letters to her family sharing anecdotes from her life and teaching career.

The manga was published in 1979–1984 in five volumes. Yuzuki mainly served as the writer and Rin as the artist. The series covers approximately 16 years of their lives, from their moving to Gylias for teaching work to their return to Kirisaki during the wretched decade.

Having found popularity in Gylias, the sisters accepted an offer by GTV4 to create an animated adaptation. This would total 20 episodes, and aired on GTV4 in 1990–1992. Misato Katsuragi, who appeared as a secondary character in the manga and found fame in the interim as the bassist of Bow Wow Wow and the Mighty Invincibles, voiced herself in the anime. Yuzuki jokingly expressed gratitude that "Misato's voice hasn't changed at all in thirty years!".

Reception

Teacher's Activity Log was met with a positive reception. Reviewers praised its slice of life storytelling, low-key comedy, and outsider's view of Gylian education.