Link Click: Episode 2 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2021-11-23 16:01:02 +0000 UTCLu and Cheng continue their missions, this time delving into a fallen apart friendship with more than one parallel to our current salt and pepper duo -- and it does't look like it's going to be an easy mystery to crack.
I love the "thriller" vibes this show is giving off -- the surreal animation and interesting concepts being explored. Lu seems rather pragmatic and stern about the "rules" of his ability, whereas Cheng is more emotional and idealistic -- a "recipe" for disaster or greatness? ;)
Thanks for watching with me and for the support!
Comments
I love how we see this relationship evolve from the start to the present (out of order, but that makes it interesting, as we get the full context at the end!). Yes, I loved seeing these two work out their relationship and make up in the end. And that DOES make sense that these are emotional jobs -- that's a good point about Lu; he wouldn't have the emotion to fully embody them like Cheng. It's definitely an interesting dynamic between them! I love that note about the photos being intimate and personal. That's a great observation! :) Thank you for the kind words and I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, too! :D
Romaniablack
2021-11-25 05:26:41 +0000 UTCYeah, it's a neat twist to the "episodic" approach, since they're becoming the characters -- and it seems to be tying things from the last episode into this one so I like it! The concept is really unique with this. That's a good point about Lu Guang -- that's true; he's just trying to protect Cheng, because clearly the power is serious and can affect people's lives..and ooh, I a excited to re-watch and catch those moments, too! Yeah, that's a good point about pronunciation of the names, but I'm definitely glad to watch in the original language -- However, Haiji's VA is apparently playing one of the characters, so I'm kind of curious to hear what it sounds like! :)
Romaniablack
2021-11-25 05:04:05 +0000 UTCI agree! The tension between them, their developing relationship, their breakup and rekindling (that ending got me too!) -- and yesss, the parallels to our main characters! I appreciate that this show is weaving all that in with a modern, real life twist! Definitely a nice follow up to the first episode! Thanks for the kind words and have a wonderful day, too!
Romaniablack
2021-11-25 04:01:54 +0000 UTCThis is probably my favorite episode, honestly. It's very personal and intimate and emotional. I like that we got to see many years of their relationship and how it slowly crumbled as one became too caught up in their success while the other just wanted to run a little shop with her...best friend/lover. And the twist was a good one that made total sense once it was revealed. Such a small thing but it made a huge difference. If you think about it, nearly all photos a person collects are very much connected to them - family, friends, lovers, special moments in a life - so it makes sense that the jobs they are hired to do are very emotional, personal ones (though Emma was just Instagramming her crappy egg rolls, lol, but her parents were keeping track of her that way). Each time they get a case, they end up getting all involved in the photo-taker's life beyond the simple task they are hired to do. Cheng gets way too caught up but that's probably why he is able to inhabit those people in the first place - because he has a strong sense of empathy/sympathy. If it were Lu Guang, he could go through the motions perfectly but he wouldn't be able to "become" the person enough to fool everyone around them. Happy Thanksgiving ( a little early)!
Serralinda
2021-11-24 23:42:07 +0000 UTCThat's true! :)
Romaniablack
2021-11-24 23:23:15 +0000 UTCThis show starts out pretty episodic, and I usually get bored and drop those kinds of shows, but I found myself thinking that it would be okay even if the whole show was like that. The way it manages to get me so emotionally invested in these side characters, even for such a short time, really surprised me. I guess having our main characters literally become them is a big part of it. It’s such a unique concept and it works so well. And I don’t think Lu Guang is a tsundere. He is stoic but he’s not cold. He’s strict about the rules because of changing the future and all, but I also think he’s trying to be protective of Cheng who is so easily affected by these people’s lives. And he clearly cares. I also noticed more rewatching it with you that he has these little smiles here and there and they’re so cute. The thing about the Japanese dub changing the names sucks. I hate it when English does that sort of thing. But I also don’t think the Japanese VAs would be able to pronounce these names. There are a lot of sounds that don’t exist in Japanese, so that’s probably part of the reason. I was actually amazed at how well the English was pronounced when I first heard the OP song. I wonder if all Chinese speakers are better at pronouncing English. The way that they also have distinct L and R sounds probably has a lot to do with it. Idk. The music and OST in this show are amazing though. It lends well to how emotional the show can be.
Julie
2021-11-24 21:02:12 +0000 UTCTo be fair to the cab driver, Cheng did specifically call the person he was ranting about a man. Cuz he was ranting about Lu.
Julie
2021-11-24 20:38:00 +0000 UTCI do feel bad for Cheng, in that he wants to "help" the situation so badly, but Lu warns him of the repercussions of that; it's a neat concept with time travel that I'm on board for, and it makes me nervous for Cheng and if he's going to be able to be the "actor" and complete his role, with Lu "directing." The concept tying into the "film reels" in the OP is so cool. And yes, Lu knowing the script and what he should say...I'm with you! "Idk magic!" hahaha, hopefully we find out some more on Lu as the series goes on! And I like that, "it's more the consequences than the science." Nice! I like the metaphor of the secret ingredient that had been "lost" both to the one woman in the recipe but in their relationship as a whole -- and by the end of the episode, they get it back...I like it, too! :) Good stuff, indeed! ^^
Romaniablack
2021-11-24 17:48:51 +0000 UTCI binge watched it last week and let's say I didn't expect the direction it was going. But it was amazing. Xiaoshi is definitely the more emotional one and it makes sense that he gets so attached to the people and wants good things for them since he lives their lifes and also kinda feels the emotions of the person. The two women definitely had a thing. Nobody can tell me there wasn't tension between them. And the parallels to our main characters. The show is definitely hinting. When Lin Zhen said welcome back at the end, that got me a bit teary. I love the little real world themes that they mixed in. I always appreciate when shows do that. It doesn't always have to be a big thing in the story. Wish you a wonderful day!!
Toni simi
2021-11-24 15:08:02 +0000 UTC@spacemonkey -- I could see a commentary on gender roles in the conversation between Cheng and the delivery man -- the moment his tone changed and he told her she should essentially "find a husband" to do the work for her - I DID like the clapback, too! As someone that's been on the receiving end of that type of commentary, I definitely appreciated it! :) I guess the taxi cab driver's "chipperness" was kind of ... creepy to me? I kept getting vibes of that serial killer from the last episode, who seemed very cheerful and helpful...and then he killed Emma, haha! So there was that. XD But also, maybe I've not rode in enough taxi cabs to know the normalcy of this type of conversation, too! :) I get your point!
Romaniablack
2021-11-24 14:58:26 +0000 UTC@goldmund - Thank you! I'm curious to see how gender roles are portrayed in this series, especially between Cheng and Lu, and it's neat that this series is bringing into it real-world events; you don't see a lot of shows (or at least the ones I've seen) do that...you see real life "characters" but not necessarily events. And I really like the art style, but like you said, it's like DouKyuusei, and I'm a huge fan of it. I get that it's polarizing, though. :)
Romaniablack
2021-11-24 14:55:04 +0000 UTCYeah, the layout of the job is a bit sketchy and the clients all seem to have shady motivations at the start of the episode, so I'm glad this turned out with a happier ending of the two friends re-connecting; not sure we'll get that in the whole series, though! And yesss, I love Cheng's good heart in trying to help -- Lu Guang, though, seems to realize how serious this power can affect their reality, so he treats it as objectively as possible...it has me curious how their dynamic is going to work down the road.
Romaniablack
2021-11-24 14:00:39 +0000 UTCReally good episode imo. I'm honestly amazed by the strong characterization and how it pertains to the story. Specifically, i like that Cheng is the emotional one, which makes sense, because for all we know he kinda "melds" with the person he is "possessing" in the moment, so that persons feelings become his, while he also retains his own about the situation. Like in this case, i can't help but think that he must have felt so bad in the moment when he went into the photo as the other girl (yeah, sorry, i already forgot their names... but i mean the cook, not the business woman). Now if presented with a situation like that, most people ofc would try to fix things, but instead Lu has to remind him that that is not how it went down. Lu knows the script, but he is an observer, he is detached by definition, while Cheng is an actor, even more than that, he doesn't just understand and empathize with his role, he literally feels what his role feels or at least that is how i am reading it.. How does it work ? Idk, magic ! But it does and imo the interesting part is not the science behind it, but the consequences of it. Still not sure what they'll do with this, but i see a lot of potential for it. But i like the reframing of the story from "artist vs. business" to "estranged friends/lovers". You can tell that at the big falling out all that would have been needed to be said was "all i ever wanted is to be with you, me cooking made you happy, that was all i wanted. And ever since then everytime you set your eyes on something i contributed my best to make it happen, because i thought that would make you happy, but instead you just found another goal, because nothing was ever enough. And now, i don't even know anymore why i am doing it, there is no happiness in it anymore." a lifetime captured in what is not said, instead of it being spelled out. That is good writing. The unknown ingredient being "something she forgot about herself" was a bit thick as a metaphor imo, but it still hit me, so i can't complain too much, now can i ? Good stuff there !
SpaceMonkey
2021-11-23 21:16:04 +0000 UTCI disagree about the "sexism" thing completely. The delivery guy clearly was being a grumpy grump about getting stood up in front of the door for a good minute. Cheng hesitated and wanted to stay in the kitchen (which i like a lot, because imo it carries a lot of undertones) to the point of the other girl noticing. So, yes, he was being rude on purpose imo. I took it as more of a "Yo, if you can't even handle a delivery in a timely fashion (you know i got other businesses i need to get to, kind of a tight schedule here) then maybe you shouldn't be doing business at all. You look like a catch, just go down the easy path and get some rich guy and you're set". And i like the clap-back about stereotypes and how if you wanna talk about old fashioned stereotypes then maybe start with being the gentleman. I thought it was funny :) But i get it on this one The thing with the taxi driver i don't at all however. People like that see all kinds of things and imo the dude was pretty chipper about the whole thing and just tried to put his customer at ease a la "i've seen worse, don't sweat it" and to be fair, Cheng was ranting to Lu specifically out loud, which the driver took as "oh, she was fighting with her man, but didn't find the words in the moment and now is still going on about what she should have said" or something like that, because ofc the driver has no idea that Lu even exists. So, that angle i see absolutely no indication of.
SpaceMonkey
2021-11-23 20:55:29 +0000 UTCI still very much don't like the kind of jobs our guys are doing, so unethical! It's very interesting how they try to stay in line, in Japanese anime they probably would end each episode with every client life fixed with power of love and friendship instead of completing the egotistical client's request. Like, "the secret ingredient was love all along!". Great that this time the client worked her situation out herself but... And so interesting that Cheng finds the right words to say when being in picture. Not all the time but he definitely reads into people's hearts when becoming them for only half a day.
Anastasia -
2021-11-23 19:55:20 +0000 UTCHaha about shipping Cheng and Lu and Cheng being the more emotional, feminine one. It's funny because I thought exactly the same when I first viewed these first few episodes. But I changed my mind later on. So curious about what you will eventually think after the season lol. I like your note about the sexism reflected in the series. This donghua interestingly refers to many real world events and realities in China today. I like this additional layer added to the significance of this show. And about the animation style. Yes I love Doukyuusei and Link Click does remind me of this fluid art style. It's unique and beautiful. I hope you will enjoy the remaining episodes and can't wait for next week to come!
goldmund
2021-11-23 17:35:32 +0000 UTC
