3x3s, an overall view on the things I like right now (2/3/2021)

 While I was watching the newest trash taste podcast (episode 34), they started talking about their top 9 anime, which they put into a 3x3 square. I think that this idea is super cool, as it is an easy method to quickly understand someone's tastes. I searched online, and I found that people also made 3x3s for a lot of other mediums, like books or TV shows.

I thought that this idea was super cool so I'll be making a list of 3x3s so I can keep a record of my current tastes. However, since I haven't consumed a lot of media from certain mediums (for example, I don't watch TV shows or read western comics a lot), so I'll also add a miscellaneous section. For competitive games, I also only made a 2x2, because I haven't actually gotten involved into many different competitive games.

Manga (3x3)

Attack on Titan

Fullmetal Alchemist

Onanie master kurosawa

Domestic Girlfriend

Dorohedoro

Genshiken

Naruto

Three days of Happiness

One Punch Man

I had a lot of trouble fulfilling the manga 3x3. However, in the end I settled for these nine manga, even though a few other manga could've definitely also made the list (Gantz, Erased, Planetes, Pluto, Assassination Classroom, Tokyo Ghoul). I tried to be as varied as possible, to express the widest range of what I like in manga. For example, I really like ridiculous premises that deliver and create a surprisingly engaging and well written story (AoT, OMK, DomeGF, Dorohedoro). One reason I really love manga is because of the unique stories and premises that you can't find anywhere else. Something else I really value are stories that feel well planned out, and have satisfying answers to the questions that it raises (examples being Aot, FMA, Dorohedoro, 3 days of Happiness), but that isn't to say I don't also enjoy character-driven stories either. I love the variance in genres and feel that manga can have, and I tried to pick out examples that could encompass every genre I enjoy.

Books (3x3)

Dune

Witcher series (especially baptism of fire)

Ready Player One

A song of ice and fire

Harry Potter

Gibson Vaughn Series

Brave New World

The Martian

American Gods

Since becoming a teenager, I haven't had the time to read as many books, probably only finishing maybe five a year. Even worse, I don't remember the majority of all the books I read as a child well, so I don't feel comfortable putting them into my 3x3. I also read a lot of series, and I as feel many series should come as a whole package, I included each series as just one entry in this 3x3. As for the books themselves, I realized that I love reading books that make me feel smart. Dune, ASOIAF, and the Witcher Series are all fantasy books with a high amount of politics, worldbuilding, and mindgames between characters. In the series, the dialogue can also be fast, witty, and subtle, and I love picking up on the little details in each sentence that a character says. Based on these books, I also mostly enjoy the fantasy or sci-fi genre, although it isn't the only genre I read.

Manhwa (3x3)

About Death

Moon You

The Breaker

Annarasumanara

Flow

Bastard

God of Bath

Lookism

Gosu

I decided to make manhwas/Korean webtoons a different 3x3, because there are way too many manhwas that I love (These are also Korean language webtoons only). When it comes to Webtoons, what I like is very similar to what I like in mangas. With webtoons, however, I think that there is a larger amount of surprisingly artistic series that I've enjoyed(such as About Death or Annarasumanara). What I mean by this is that many of these webtoons are often more "soft" stories with a lot of subtleties and symbolism that you wouldn't be able to find in another medium (an example is the the way the color red is used in Annarasumanara). Webtoons often vary in quality, but when they are amazing they are amazing, and sometimes they even go above all but the best manga in quality. You also sometimes get music which can greatly enhance the experience of reading a webtoon. The vertical reading format also allows for some really cool artistic tricks and styles that you wouldn't find anywhere else.

Albums (3x3)

PREP-PREP

Pet Sounds - the Beach Boys

The Fall of Hobo Johnson- Hobo Johnson

Currents - Tame Impala

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

Moonchild - NIKI

no-vacancy - lost spaces

grae - Moses Sumney

Battle Studies - John mayer

These few years, I've listened to a lot of music. A lot. I've noticed that I enjoy pop and rock the most, however I do sometimes mix things up by listening to a few experimental albums or more unique music. Examples of these more outlandish music include The Fall of Hobo Johnson, which is unlike anything I've ever heard, or grae by Moses Sumney.

Misc (3x3)

Homecoming King (Comedy Special) - Hasan Minhaj

Sherlock - TV Show

The Office - TV Show

Parks and Recreation - TV Show

Stranger Things - TV Show

Undertale - Video Game

Cuphead - Video Game

Nier;Automata - Video Game

Danganronpa - Video Game

Originally I was going to make a video game category, but looking at all the games I've played and completed, I really don't think that video games are a medium that I truly enjoy as much as, say, manga or novels. I couldn't find enough video games that I think really left an impact on me, so I stuffed them in here, along with a few TV shows and even a comedy special.

Although I fondly remember Mother 3 as a great game, I don't actually remember much of the game, so I didn't include it this time. I used to value video games as a way to tell stories, but recently I feel as though other mediums just do it better. For me to enjoy a game nowadays, I need to have good gameplay first, and then everything else comes after. Unfortunately, I haven't found a lot of games I super enjoyed, but the four I put down are games that I actually had a surprisingly good time with, and  where I also felt like I got something out of it. I think with video games being such a large part of the culture nowadays, many games are hyped up and talked about, but when I actually get to playing them I'm often disappointed. 

As for the TV shows, I don't really have any unique taste in TV shows. I mostly just watch what is popular, because I feel as though TV shows are too long to finish and I want to make sure I watch something I'll enjoy.

The most memorable piece on this 3x3 is surprisingly Hasan Minhaj's comedy special Homecoming King. Homecoming King is phenomenal. It's definitely hilarious, but what is really special about is how it can also make you cry. His depiction of being a second generation American was really accurate and relatable for me, and this comedy special remains one of the best performances I have ever seen.

Movies (3x3)

Django Unchained

The Prestige

Oldboy

Wolf of Wall Street

Thor: Ragnarok

The Nice Guys

The Shawshank Redemption

3 Idiots

City of God

I watch movies for fun. And although sometimes I forget this and watch movies to analyze them, I think the movies that I remember the best are often the ones I just have the most fun with. That isn't to say that I don't also love super deep and "artistic" movies, however. Movies like The Prestige, Oldboy, and City of God are on this 3x3 because they are reminders of just how high quality movies can be. However, my favorite movies more often than not end up just being fun movies, such as Wolf of Wall Street or The Nice Guys.

Competitive Video Games (2x2)

Rivals of Aether

Tetris

Valorant

Fortnite

I really appreciate eSports. Something I really love about them is how I can observe and appriciate the skill of various top players, while also being able to play and enjoy the game myself. I put RoA instead of any Smash game in here because for me it is a game that is just as deep and fast as Melee, except I can actually play the game. When the game isn't lagging online and my controller is working, this game is some of the most fun I've ever had.

Tetris is a game that I don't really play with or talk about with others, but its something I play almost daily. It's almost therapeutic for me to just clear lines while playing against others online anonymously, but I also enjoy how there is a surprisingly high skill ceiling and skill curve. Sometimes I watch a random tetris video and still get my mind blown, even after playing the game for maybe two years now.

Now onto the shooters. Valorant and Fortnite are completely different games, but I appreciate both. I think Fortnite is a lot more fun, but I do enjoy watching both games, and in all honestly I do actually enjoy Valorant, even if it is tilting as hell sometimes. Valorant is a lot more of a team game, with success stemming more from teamwork than individual skill, while Fortnite can be fun because you don't need to rely on anyone else. Even though I stated that Fortnite is more fun for me to play, I think that competitive Valorant is the superior game to watch.