Anime of the Week
In recent years there has been an increase of Chinese anime or donghua that have gone mainstream. The Daily Life of an Immortal King, Heaven Official’s Blessing, The Founder of Diabolism (Mo Dao Zu Shi) are to name a few.
But what’s the best donghua out there? My personal favorite donghua that I’ve watched is Link Click. A friend recommended it to me, and I got hooked on the first episode. I marathoned the entire thing.
Check out last week’s Anime of the Week: Ocean Waves
So What is Link Click About?
Shiguang Dailiren (时 光 代 理 人), also known as Link Click, is directed by Li Qiaoling. LAN Studio with Haoliners Animation League produced the donghua web series. The story is a drama, mystery, thriller with some crime splashed in there.
The first season aired in 2021, while season two aired in 2023. A third season that will be airing sometime this 2024 or early 2025 from reports.
Synopsis
Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang run Time Photo Studio. They help clients deal with past regrets. Using a photo provided by the client, Cheng can travel back to the moment it was taken when he high fives Lu Guang.
Cheng becomes the photographer and experiences their memories and feelings. Meanwhile, Lu Guang tracks events of that time. He assists Cheng in reliving the photographer’s experiences. They have 12 hours and only one chance to find what the client needs, all while making sure that the past remains unchanged.
Trailer
What I Liked
Art Style & Animation
I think the high quality art and animation will catch people off guard. Especially if they haven’t seen any donghua at all. I liked that this was a traditional 2D anime, there are donghua that are 3D or more CGI based.
The art style is different from traditional Japanese anime. The background has a watercolor effect. There isn’t much shading in the coloring of the characters.
Story is Unique
I say this a lot, but the story for Link Click is unique. Many anime explore time travel, but Link Click offers a fresh take on the concept.
The use of photos to travel back in time and to use that power to change lives is a trope I have not seen yet.
Soundtrack
The opening (OP) and ending (ED) theme are bangers. I encourage you to listen to them. The animation for the opening and ending sequences are just so good too. A dance trend of the opening sequence became popular on social media a while back.
The soundtrack throughout the series adds a lot to the mystery and thriller aspect to the series. Just the start of the ED gives you a suspenseful feeling. You ask yourself “what happens?” and you end up watching another episode and then another and then another.
Available with a Japanese and English Dub
Donghua usually don’t get any dubs, but Link Click has both Japanese and English. If you are a fan of dubbed versions, they have you covered. The Japanese dub includes subtitles by the way.
Episodic Format With a bit of Serial Storyline
I liked the format for Link Click. Almost every episode has a different client, meaning there’s a different story and flashback every episode or two. But right at the end they wrapped up the season with a twist.
This twist led to a more serial storyline in the second season. I have to say I didn’t think the storyline for the second season was as good as the first, but it was great either way.
Do I Think it’s the Best Chinese Anime? + Would I Recommend it?
I think Link Click is the best Chinese anime out right now. Currently there are two seasons, and a third on the way. Back in 2021, the first episode had me hooked, and I was impatiently waiting for the second season.
The story is why I recommend the show, it really is unique. As mentioned there are good time travel anime out there such as Steins;Gate and ERASED. But the way Link Click does it, adds more depth to the trope. If you are looking for the best Chinese anime to watch, or just want to dip your toes into donghua, this should be it. If there is one donghua everyone should watch, I highly recommend Link Click.
You can watch Link Click on Crunchyroll.
