First time having manual brakes, are mine bad?

If you just set the emergency, that moves the shoes into contact with drum, the wheel cyls will move out to the shoes when pumped and will not be returned cuz the shoes are held out by the emerg.
Do your bleeding, and air test with emerg on, then there no need to try and un-adjust the rear brakes after you jambed them on with the adjuster ( in some cases VERY difficult ) after you're finished.

With the "air test", with the shoe pegged to the drum, any violent, or volume (geyser/fountain) of fluid returning to the M/C, is not caused by the shoes returning, it can only be air in the system, compressing with the pedal, and expanding when released .
Cheers .