Anime Review: Link Click, "So Time Begins to Flow Again" (Bridon Arc - Season 3, Episode 1)
The long-awaited new season of Link Click is finally here!
Starting off with a bang, Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang are attacked by an unknown assailant. While Cheng Xiaoshi is bleeding out, he tells Lu Guang to save everyone. Before he dies, Lu Guang travels back in time to when they first met.
I like how the anime episode starts with a glimpse into the future and then backtracks to how it all began. After Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang played a game of basketball together, they became friends quickly.
When all three of them attend a cosplay event, Qiao Ling loses a game she purchased. Lu Guang uses his power to help them locate Shen Miaomiao who accidentally swapped bags with her. This is the first time he uses his abilities in front of the two of them and Cheng Xiaoshi becomes extremely curious, constantly prodding him about what his power is.
Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang’s first job together is to prove to Zhou Xun that the girl he is talking to, Vivian, is a con artist. However, Zhou Xun doesn’t believe them and plans an in-person date to see if she’s real. On the way, Zhou Xun and Qiao Ling get in a car accident. Cheng Xiaoshi goes in his place and Lu Guang stays on the phone with him the entire time to tap their conversation.
Thankfully, Lu Guang takes a photo of her that later saves Cheng’s life. During the date, Vivian admits to being a con artist, but that her feelings for Zhou Xun are still real. Wanting to get her home safely, Cheng Xiaoshi follows her down an alley, despite Lu Guang yelling at him not to on the phone.
In the alleyway, the boss of Vivian’s crime syndicate knocks Cheng out and he wakes up tied to a chair. Vivian gives him two options: join them or get killed. Being the moralistic guy he is, Cheng Xiaoshi refuses. There’s no easy escape option either since they’re in the middle of nowhere and the boss and his lackey have a camera watching them.
When Vivian says that the crime syndicate will hurt his loved ones, he has no choice but to join. Cutting off his restraints, she whispers to him to escape when she signals it. Without knowing this yet, the viewer watches as Cheng Xiaoshi pushes Vivian and she aggressively throws him on the ground.
The boss rushes in and harasses Vivian, saying she “ruined the goods.” With Cheng Xiaoshi’s body limp on the floor, I genuinely thought he was dead. They really got me there. I realized it was all part of their plan when Lu Guang broke in and attacked the boss with Cheng joining in on the fight soon after.
Despite the cops on the way and the boss knocked on the ground, Vivian was stabbed before she had the chance to escape. I’m not sure if Zhou Xun ever got closure since he never got to meet Vivian in person. Her death was on the news, but I don’t know if he realized it was her. Also, it isn’t stated whether Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang ever told Zhou Xun what happened. But I’d really like to know!
Afterward, Lu Guang finally tells Cheng Xiaoshi about his powers. Since he got a photo of Vivian, he saw that Cheng would be knocked out and kidnapped. And that’s when he decided to go save him. Before you know it, Lu Guang moved in with Cheng Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling.
It’s really interesting to me that Lu Guang is the one with the power to look into photographs and see the future. I always thought that the duo needed to clap hands to activate their abilities. It’s cool how we’re seeing everything from Lu Guang’s perspective. I can’t even imagine the stress he is under considering he wants to prevent everyone’s death in the future.
The show is definitely underrated