Yukari Tanizaki

Yukari Tanizaki (谷崎 ゆかり), also known as "Miss Yukari" (ゆかり先生 Yukari-sensei, lit. "Teacher Yukari"), is a character from the manga and anime series Azumanga Daioh.

Biography
She is the girls' English and homeroom teacher (class 3), but a teacher with very unconventional methods and a rather close relationship with the class. Her students are casual enough to call her by her given name (Yukari-sensei in lieu of Tanizaki-sensei, with a few, mostly Tomo, addressing her as the extremely informal Yukari-chan). Depending on the day, time, and her mood, she can be either a horrible tyrant or one of the sweetest, most touching teachers ever. Her behavior ranges from mercilessly teasing Chiyo and hitting students with blunt objects to kind and gentle words and simple, encouraging notes on tests telling students she believes in them. She is often selfish, irresponsible, miserly, and generally dysfunctional, and shamelessly expects her friend and fellow teacher, Minamo Kurosawa ("Nyamo"), to not only tolerate all of this, but to enable it. She becomes jealous when Nyamo receives nicer birthday presents from her students, and will even give her students study hall so that she can ditch them and go swimming at the school pool. In one episode, when Yukari is in a terrible mood about the lack of birthday presents, Tomo complains it's simply because Yukari's birthday is during spring break.

Off the job, she frequently drags Nyamo out on extensive drinking parties, which Nyamo usually has to pay for. She is very fond of Korean barbecue, which becomes the object of many of her extravagant wagers involving the class. She even becomes incredibly jealous whenever anyone has eaten expensive food, such as snow crab or Matsusaka beef, which Yomi and Chiyo both are assaulted for. She is also a huge fan of video games, and becomes angry when the store runs out of the newest game.

Yukari and Nyamo are alumnae of the school the girls attend, and has even appeared at a Sports Festival in her old uniform (which led to a prostitution joke from Tomo in the manga).

Both Yukari and Tomo have similar obnoxious personalities: they are both boastful, jealous, delusional, lazy, and selfish. Rather than being hateful, though, they are amusing and likeable - one can see why their friends like them, even as they are annoyed by them. The balance between the dual natures of Yukari and Tomo's characters is a unique achievement of the author, and one of the peculiar charms of Azumanga Daioh.

Yukari can speak English fluently, and uses this ability to claim intellectual superiority over Nyamo. (Though the anime treats her speech as fluent, she has a very strong accent.) At one point in the manga, however, she tells her class that the only true purpose for studying English is to pass tests.

Yukari's given name means 'related to (some place).'

Yukari on the Road
Yukari's car, also known as the Yukari-mobile (ゆかり車 Yukari-kuruma) sometimes seems to have a personality and history of its own. Technically, it belongs to Yukari's parents. At one time a nice silver Toyota Corolla, Yukari's reckless driving habits have turned it into a scarred, beaten vehicle suitable for a Mad Max film. Even a photo or the mere mention of the Yukari-mobile can cause terror and flashbacks for those who have ridden in it—though said survivors sometimes claim they no longer fear roller coasters. Chiyo in particular goes to extraordinary lengths to avoid riding in it or any other vehicle Yukari might possibly be driving. However, Tomo enjoys riding in it, showing she has some similarities to Yukari.

Character songs

 * "Otona wo Yasunde Dekakeyou" Words by Aki Hata, music by Kosuke Kanai
 * "Tenshoku Equal Kaikan No Housoku"" Words by Aki Hata, music by Kosuke Kanai

Notes and references
타니자키 유카리