Chapter 1 Introduction

The introduction section consists of eight parts, namely, background, problem

identification, project aims, project questions, methods of production, significance of

the product, limitation of the product, and organization of the report.

1.1 Background

Aladdin’s wonderful lamp, Ali Baba and the forty thieves, and The seven

voyages of Sinbad the sailor are some stories which are popular throughout the world.

These stories originally come from Arabic folktales which are compiled with the title

of Arabian Nights or One thousand and one night. There is also Mulan, a story which

is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan. Mulan is also popular worldwide.

Those stories are gained their popularity through animated films.

However, film is not the only medium which can attract people’s attention.

Another medium that can attract people’s attention is comic. Nowadays, Japanese

comics or manga are very popular not only in Japan but also througout the world.

Popular series like One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach have many fans throughout the

world.

Indonesia is a rich country. It is not only rich for its natural resources but also

for its culture. Folktale is one product of the Indonesian culture. There are many

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folktales in , for example Malin Kundang, Roro Jongrang, Situ Bagendit,

and Sangkuriang . Unfortunately, Indonesian folktales may not be as popular as

“Mulan” and “Aladin” As far as I am concerned there is an emerging need for us to

promote such products and gain the world’s recognition. Folktales such as “Mulan”

and “Aladin” have been promoted through widescreen media.

In order to show the world that Indonesia has a great folktales and legends. I

have tried to combine an Indonesian folktale and manga as one of the popular media.

I have taken and adapted the story of Sangkuriang since Sangkuriang seems to be the

most popular legend and it is the privilege for me as Sundanese to preserve and retell

the story. Moreover the comic is written in English as international language so that

foreigners can enjoy the comic. Furthermore, I not only put the story of Sangkuriang

into a manga style, but also adapted it into my own version of futuristic world to

make the story more interesting and entertaining. Besides the setting of futuristic

world, what makes the story more interesting and entertaining is the use of manga

style illustration and the implemented interesting story tips by Tatsu Maki (2002).

1.2 Problem Identification

There are several problems that I identified. First, there are very few comics

about Indonesian folktales in English. Next, most of the comics that have been

published are written in Indonesian, so foreigners may find it difficult to enjoy the

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stories. The last, the comics about traditional legends I found are generally very old

and the illustration may not be suitable nowadays.

1.3 Project Aims

The aims of this product are to inform and entertain foreign and domestic

readers. “To inform” means “to widespread” the story of Sangkuriang not only in

Indonesia but also worldwide because it is written in English. The other aim is to

entertain. The story is more entertaining in the form of comic, rather than just a text

without any illustrations.

1.4 Project Questions

There are several project questions related to the final project, namely:

1. How has the original storyline been adapted into a new version?

2. What kind of language style is used?

3. How is the text of the story converted into a Manga style comic?

1.5 Methods of Production

In making the product, there are a number of steps involved in the process.

The first step is collecting data. The method used in collecting data is library study.

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The data taken for the library study includes books and the Internet. However, most

data are taken from the Internet because there are several data that could not be

found in Indonesian books. The next step is processing the data. Then the outline of

the comic is made based on the data. The last step of the production is to make

storyboard based on the outline, and then to convert it into a comic.

1.6 Significance of the Product

Practical Values

There are several benefits that people and I can get through the product. The

benefits are:

 Because the project will be written in English, it can improve my vocabulary,

grammar, and my writing skills

 The product is comic so it can also improve my drawing skills

 The project can be a reference for other English students in doing similar final

projects in the future

 The product can entertain and enrich the knowledge of domestic or foreign

readers

 The product can help Indonesian preserve the richness of their folk tales

 The product indirectly promotes Tangkuban Perahu which is one of the

tourism places in West , Indonesia to both domestic and foreign tourists.

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1.7 Limitation of the Product

There are a lot of folktales in Indonesia. However, the story of the comic is

limited into one story, Sangkuriang. This limitation is taken based on my background

as a Sundanese and inhabitant of which the story of Sangkuriang is related

to. So the amount of data which can be collected from the story will be easier to get

than any other folktales in Indonesia.

1.8 Organization of the Report

The report is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is about the

introduction which consists of eight parts. Those parts are background, problem

identification, project aims, project questions, methods of production, significance of

the product, limitation of the product, and organization of the report. The next chapter

is about literature review and theoretical frameworks. There are five sources that are

reviewed on the literature review and nine theories on the theoretical frameworks.

The third chapter is about the method of production which is used in this project. The

fourth one is about the result and discussion. This chapter explains about the result of

the project, discusses the answers to the project questions and the problems faced

during the making of the product and the solution of the problems. The last chapter is

about conclusion and recommendation for further study. This part explains the

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conclusion that can be drawn from the whole project and the suggestion for future

similar project.

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