Top 20 Reasons Watch Link Click/Shiguang Dailiren

Welcome, to the throwback world. We are going to take a trip down to the spring season of 2021 to explore a must-watch show with a dongua (Chinese Anime). Link Click/ Shiguang Dailiren is a story that takes the viewers for a ride back in time with its concept. This mainstream success anime witnessed a massive fan following and critical appreciation for its unique storyline. Let’s find out the Top 20 Reasons to Watch Link Click/Shiguang Dailiren.

BeDream and Bilibili’s production Shiguang Dailiren/ Link Click was released in 2021 and instantly garner the attention of several viewers. Among countless other contemporary time travel tropes, the creators of this anime have managed to make it stand out. Even in MyAnimeList’s Top Anime rankings list Link Click finds its place in the top 50 popular anime. And surprisingly, its popularity surpasses some of the classics like Hajime no Ippo and Cowboy Bebop. But what makes it so popular among giant anime franchises like AOT, Mob Psycho, and others?

So, here’s why Link Click/Shiguang Dailiren is popular.

Typical Plot with an atypical twist (Plot Overview)

The main characters Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang own the Time Photo Studio. The small photography shop in the modern metropolis is known for unusually helping clients. The protagonist uses his superpower to transmigrate into a photo; landing at the moment it was captured. Time travel came with the perk of altering the events that took place in the person’s life.

Captivating Concept

Time travel as a concept has been explored multiple times in anime, manga, and manhwa. Yet, Link Click manages to captivate the audience with its pinch of newness. Traveling back in time through photos is a never explored idea.

It has sci-fi elements

The creation of Shiguang Daili ren the anime is very precise. The main characters and the concept of time travel are very closely knitted with realism. Lu Guang’s dialogue from the Link Click trailer- “First, you only get 12 hours. Second, follow my lead and change nothing. Third, past or future, just let them be.”; proves that the events within the story are time bound and do not play with scientific rules.

Non-Sci-Fi lovers fit

Despite being close to science fiction the simplicity of the story can even be loved by non-science fiction viewers. By far the time travel within the story does not have any heavy scientific machinery or complex process behind it. It is simply the protagonist’s superpower that initiates time travel.

Mystery foreshadows time travel trope

Link Click’s time travel trope is foreshadowed by mystery. Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang unravel mysteries as they pick up the old battles and unprecedented twists from the past of their clientele. Drama is at the core of the anime as the time travel takes the protagonist as well as the viewers on a mysterious errand.

Defined Cast/Character

Primarily, Shiguang Daili ren has a defined set of characters. Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi along with Qiao Ling (tritagonist) are the main cast of Link Click. Other than these constant appearances there are side characters in the form of people from the clientele and their acquaintances that Cheng crosses while traveling through the picture.

Ordinary-looking yet gifted MCs

Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang resemble very much any modern-day boy yet are embedded with superpowers. Both the characters have utilized their unusual skill to make money by helping people reach darkness around the frame of the photo from the past.

Interesting teamwork

Two main characters with exceptional powers. Lu Guang can simply find what happened around the time the picture was taken and Cheng Xiaoshi has the power to enter it, which makes up for the central conflict of the story. These two odd powers stand against time as a team solving the mystery.

Polar Opposite heroes

Generally, the main characters of any supernatural story come with one character overpowering the other. But in the case of Link Click the polar opposite heroes bring their powers together to fulfill the clientele’s demand. However good Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang might be as a team they are opposites. Where Cheng is emotional, Le Chuang is pragmatic and composed in nature.

Hands-Down on character development

Character progress within the story is highly appreciable. Even when the larger part of the anime concept deals with delving into the story of strangers; the story’s main characters are far more progressive. Specifically, towards the end of the story Cheng and Guang’s characters are developed in a structured fashion.

Enticing OSTs and theme songs

Although the theme songs aren’t fully appreciated. The anime op mingles well with the opening sequence. The sound score and theme music are stellar and add a lot of depth to the whole plot. The ending theme of the anime is as stunning as the opening. With every episode, the shift in storyline accompanied by the theme music forces you to get lost in the story.

Journey of Anthologies

Unlike beating around the bush that goes around in a typical time travel trope Link Click has episodic stories that build up their own. Every challenging time travel for the client brings the protagonists closer to being exposed as individuals to the audience. Regardless of diverse mysteries, the anime has a central mystery around its main plot too.

Directionless till the end

Multiple stories of characters that play the underdog but in this anime the story itself is the underdog gem. The creators have endlessly played with directionless episodic narratives and still managed to give the story an unprecedented end. Throughout the story feels like an anthology of mystery time travels but the end changes everything.

The Character Design is LIT!!

The character design is really good. The distinction of the personalities between the protagonists is precise in both physical appearance and thought process. Cheng Xiaoshi has black hair that metaphorically denotes and notifies the fans that he deals with the dark past. Whilst white-haired Le Guang’s ability to know whatever happened in the picture and his pragmatism symbolize clarity. The characters slightly look different from the face but the self-awareness about flaws makes them demarcated.

The art style and animation are unique

The art and animation within this series are noticeable. With intense themes, the light-toned color aesthetic blends well. The backgrounds are persistent in detail and the art altogether is very close to a webtoon but has its uniqueness. There is the use of CGI that is not strikingly evident or distracting in any manner.

It has myriad human experiences

The different stories that become across through the episodic journey of the anime have a lot of human experiences to offer. The self-contained stories act as a catalyst to build in the drama intention for the main narrative. Beginning from enthusiasm, grief, passion, and emotion to mystery and thrill, this story has covered all.

A mainstream masterpiece of Dongua (Chinese Anime)

The world of animation is dominated by Japanese creations. This is one of the mainstream Chinese anime/ Dongua that rules the ranking list. Along with its fresh take on the time travel concept, the exploration of newer things comes for free. It is one of the gem pieces that rules all national and international audiences.

Short and structured series with op suspense

Link Click/ Shiguang Dailiren in totality has only 11 episodes. Even though the anime is a short series, its structured world-building of it is classic. From the very first episode, the gripping mystery of the adventures builds the world and alternate timeline for the story.

Bromance tale with potential BL

The dongua is a bishonen Link Click depicts a tale of bromance that has a semblance of BL. The interesting dynamics of Cheng and Guang hold together the interest of the audience. The dependence of the characters and their involvement in each other’s journey is the favorite for a lot of people in the fandom.

Cliffhangers all the way

Link Click has gained notoriety/popularity for its 180° flip episode ends. Every episode ends up on a cliffhanger with absolutely no hint as to what’s going to happen next. The very precise use of the butterfly effect in the time travel story keeps you hanging around the corner throughout. The season finale for this anime is paradoxically the best and worst cliffhanger that has led the audiences to fasten to it for a periodic climax (since July of 2021).

Good news for the Link Click Fandom!!! The wait is over season 2 is coming soon.

Anime News: 2021 hidden gem Dongua/Chinese Anime is officially going to release Link Click season 2 or the second installment of Shiguang Dailiren in 2023. In their live stream session, anime made by Bilibili the official announcement of this original anime’s new season set to be released in 2023 has been a surprise for the fans.

If you have not watched Link Click season one check it out until its successor is in the making. And let us know how you feel about it.