Link Click Anime season 1 ending explained
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Link Click Episode 11, “Pinnacle of Light”, now airing on Funimation. It also contains a discussion of suicide and self-harm.
The last episode of Click on the link leaves viewers absolutely in shock at the end. The donghua are known for their cliffhangers, and Episode 11 is no exception – a new enemy appears, and in terms of ability, they seem to be on a similar playing field to Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang. And while the duo thought they had the upper hand, it turns out their dangerous new foe has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Link Click’s Time Travel Creates Alternate Timeline
Cheng Xiaoshi deduces that the duo’s time travel created an alternate timeline – a timeline where he received the killer’s message about finding a clue in Click on the link Episode 8. He also realizes that it was he himself who gave the killer the clue. This murderer doesn’t like to be provoked – he’ll be more likely to make mistakes with anger, so Cheng Xiaoshi wants to capitalize on this weakness. Using the “clue” he will lure the killer into their photo studio, then force him to confess.
Fast forward to now: Cheng Xiaoshi materializes directly in front of the killer, who is armed with a knife, in the locked darkroom. They fight but Cheng Xiaoshi soon disappears. Click on the link then shows pictures all around the darkroom that Cheng Xiaoshi had recorded earlier today – they were taken by the various murder victims, and now he’s using them to get in and out of the killer’s reach. Not the least bit discouraged, the killer laughs, delighted to find a true friend. He soon realizes that Cheng Xiaoshi’s turn is activated by applause.
Lui Min is exposed as a serial killer
Stepping into the photos and watching the victims’ lives be cruelly cut short infuriates Cheng Xiaoshi, whose beating gets louder. Tearing off the mask reveals Liu Min, who flips Cheng Xiaoshi over and claims he’s not the one who killed these people – he’s just an agent. But then he admits that he has been the one who killed them. There was no motive – Liu Min just did it for his own entertainment and the pleasure of knowing that no one would ever catch him.
After receiving Lu Guang’s warning, the police arrive to arrest Liu Min. Although he got caught, he promises that he will meet Cheng Xiaoshi again and warns him not to cheat, probably referring to his shuffling between photos. In the interrogation room, Liu Min offers an alternative explanation: it was his friend who killed all these people.
Emma meets a tragic end
Although Liu Min admits to killing a lot of people, he still has an alibi in Emma’s case. Guilty Cheng Xiaoshi asks Lu Guang to allow him to return to the day of Emma’s death, and he accepts. After Liu Min tried to suffocate Emma and heard Cheng Xiaoshi’s cry, he returned to the car to take Emma to the hospital. Emma wakes up with a bruised throat, and when she tries to escape into the fight, the car crashes. Liu Min is seriously injured but Emma manages to crawl out, broken phone in her hand.
Emma was the victim of circumstances. After landing a job as an assistant to the CFO in the city, she was unwittingly complicit in her new boss’s plans to steal money from Liu Min’s account – and was also assaulted by the CFO. All she wanted was to take care of her parents … how had she ended up like this?
Standing on the edge of a bridge, she hears a voice calling out her name. Cheng Xiaoshi apologizes to her, explaining that he is a time traveler and wants to atone for his mistakes. Emma begs him to find a way to allow her to start over from the beginning and have a new life.
Cheng Xiaoshi says he repeatedly tried to change the past – only to fail – but learned that even though no one can do anything about the past, it doesn’t mean they can’t have a future. better. “Even though there are times when we find ourselves in the dark,” he told her, “eventually we will meet people who will enlighten us. Just as it looks like she was saved, however, at the last second her eyes blink red – the same red that appeared in Liu Min’s eyes and allowed her to stand up despite being paralyzed.
Possessed, Emma throws herself off the bridge. As she falls, the red in her eyes fades and returns to normal, but it’s too late. At the same time, an equally possessed Liu Min strangled with his handcuffs. Cheng Xiaoshi is brought back to the present where Qiao Ling, eyes also turned red, stands above Lu Guang whom she has just stabbed. She tells Cheng Xiaoshi that this is her punishment for breaking the rules of the game, a game that has now been reset.
Click on the link started out as a fantasy-mystery donghua, but its final episodes change genre to horror and then, in episode 11, a psychological thriller. The wave of twists and turns in the finale, meanwhile, leaves viewers with plenty of questions and, frankly, some confusion due to how quickly everything is unfolding. However, it is clear that we last saw Cheng Xiaoshi, Lu Guang (who is hopefully still alive) and their “new friend”.
For more information on warning signs and suicide prevention, click here. If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or planning to kill yourself, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If you live outside of the United States, click here for a list of international hotlines.
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