LINK CLICK: Bridon Arc Interview: Toshiyuki Toyonaga and Takahiro Sakurai on the Winter Anime

The original animation LINK CLICK premiered on bilibili in April 2021. Its second season, LINK CLICK II, aired with a Japanese dub in 2024, captivating many viewers with its emotional story and shocking conclusion. The Japanese-dubbed sequel, LINK CLICK: Bridon Arc, began airing in February 2026.

Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang discover a photograph at Time Photo Studio that may contain clues about Cheng Xiaoshi's parents. Hoping to uncover the truth, Lu Guang travels to Bridon with Cheng Xiaoshi, despite feeling an uneasy sense of foreboding. There, they encounter a number of people, each harboring their own hidden motives. As the mystery deepens, can Lu Guang overcome the fate of death that seems to await him?

Reporters from animate Times sat down for an interview with Toshiyuki Toyonaga, the voice of Cheng Xiaoshi (known as Toki in the Japanese dub), and Takahiro Sakurai, who voices Lu Guang (Hikaru in the Japanese dub). Read on to hear about their favorite moments from the Bridon Arc and how their impressions of the characters have evolved! 

(Translated from this original article by M.TOKU/Photos by MoA.)

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I could sense that it was going to change the way I looked at the series in a big way

Q. What were your thoughts when you first read the script for the Bridon Arc?

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): Season 2 ended on such a shocking note, but the opening of the Bridon Arc goes back to when Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang first met. So my honest reaction was, "Hang on… but what happened after the finale?!" At the same time, since it’s titled the Bridon Arc, I figured there must be all sorts of foreshadowing and narrative tricks woven into it. I had a feeling this arc wouldn’t let my heart rest easy either, so I braced myself for that going in.

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): After reading the script for the Bridon Arc, which begins with Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang's first meeting, I had mixed feelings. I could sense that it was going to change the way I looked at the series in a big way. Up through the first and second seasons, I thought I had a good grasp of the rules of this world, but with the Bridon Arc, that confidence was shaken a bit. Now I feel like I may not fully understand it after all (laughs).

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): I was thinking the same thing (laughs).

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): It's reached a point where you can't really say with certainty, “This is how it is.” This arc is largely told from Lu Guang's perspective as he struggles to prevent Cheng Xiaoshi's death. New characters enter the story along the way, but they're all rather unsettling, and it makes the future completely unpredictable. It almost makes you start wondering if someone outside the situation is pulling the strings. You find yourself speculating and second-guessing everything. It becomes difficult to simply accept the information in front of you at face value.

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): Some people probably think, "Well, the actors must know the truth behind everything." But honestly, there's a lot we don't know either (laughs). That's why whenever we talk about this series in interviews, we usually start with, "We're in the dark too." Otherwise we might end up ruining the fun of piecing together the foreshadowing.

Q. Thank you for being so mindful of the audience when speaking about the series. As the Bridon Arc explores events that take place further back in time than the first season, what did you focus on while performing?

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): Since this arc takes place in the past, I approached it while recalling the slightly reckless, free-spirited side of Cheng Xiaoshi that we saw back in the first season. The first episode in particular has quite a few comedic moments, so I also wanted to express that playful side of his character in those scenes.

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): Although the story is set in the past, it seems that Lu Guang has been reliving that time over and over again. He's desperately struggling, trying every possible means to create a future where Cheng Xiaoshi survives.

That said, we don't actually know which iteration of the loop it is. If I interpreted things too deeply and ended up being wrong, it might interfere with the performance. So while I kept the idea of the repeating loop in mind, I tried to approach the role as simply as possible. The visuals themselves are already very complete, so doing something overly complicated that doesn't align with them would take away from that.

Q. In other words, you made a point of not overloading the performance with too much interpretation.

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): Exactly. Instead, since he's been through it so many times, I imagined him reaching a sort of simple, almost distilled state of mind, and that's the feeling I tried to convey in the performance.

I had a lot of trust that whatever I threw at him, Sakurai-san would always meet it as Lu Guang

Q. Since the two of you perform together in many scenes, what stood out to you about each other's performances during those exchanges?

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): Toyonaga-kun is just right for Cheng Xiaoshi. I may have mentioned this in a previous interview, but he has a wealth of ideas when it comes to acting, and that's always fascinating. I think he portrays Cheng Xiaoshi's stray-like, unconstrained, free-spirited nature beautifully.

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): I had a lot of trust that whatever I threw at him, Sakurai-san would always meet it as Lu Guang. The foundation he creates when approaching a character is incredibly solid, so during recording I really felt that no matter what happened, he would stay grounded in Lu Guang and enjoy playing him.

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): Toyonaga-kun's acting just felt really good to work with. There’s a real groove to the way he delivers his lines, and it almost felt like Cheng Xiaoshi was pulling me along with him.

Q. It sounds like the two of you have a great deal of mutual respect for each other. Have your impressions of one another changed since you first met?

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): The first time we worked together, Sakurai-san happened to be playing the protagonist of a game I was really into, so I remember thinking, “Wow, it’s the real one!” (laughs). As we talked more on set and as I had the chance to watch his acting up close, I realized that while he comes across as very easygoing, he’s actually a really passionate person. It may be a bit presumptuous for me to say that, but that was the impression I got. He always tries to grasp the core of the performance while staying flexible, and I learned a lot just by watching him.

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): Toyonaga-kun always nails the essentials, while also pushing himself to incorporate his own personality and ideas, taking the character to a deeper level.
There's a lot of passion in his performance, yet it comes across as incredibly light and effortless. He just does it so naturally. That's not an easy thing to achieve, and I really admire that.

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): It took a lot of twists and turns to get to this point (laughs). There was a period when I was so desperate to prove myself that I became stubborn and a bit prickly. But after going through a lot, I feel like I've finally settled down.

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): Maybe I've been watching that evolution happen, since it's been quite a long time since we first met.

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): I first worked with Sakurai-san when I was on my second or third regular role, so I was still pretty green back then... I didn't even fully understand how things worked on set yet, and I hadn't gotten prickly either. Thinking about it now, Sakurai-san really might have seen that whole evolution.

The new characters talk about things we don't understand

Q. Returning to the 'Bridon Arc,' the setting shifts to Bridon this time. What were your impressions when you saw the completed animation?

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): It seemed like the coloring and other visual elements were intentionally changed, and just from watching the animation you could tell the characters had arrived somewhere with a different culture. In the first season, the drama was sometimes based on historical events and even included the names of real places, but this time the setting feels more fantasy-oriented. Personally, I was really interested in what kind of intentions the director had when building that world.

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): Even something as simple as a change in location can alter the atmosphere of a work, so I hope you'll enjoy the Bridon Arc with that in mind.

Q. New characters will also be introduced. What kind of impact will their presence have on the story?

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): From the viewer's perspective, the new characters talk about things we don't understand. So it naturally makes you imagine that some larger force we aren't aware of might be moving behind the scenes. Lu Guang is doing his best, but the new characters are so unsettling and unfathomable that you start to feel that even he might be playing right into someone else's hands.

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): How the new characters, including Liu Xiao and Vein, will be involved is something to watch for. At the very least, there's no doubt that the characters who appear in the opening sequence are key players.

As always with this series, an intense development awaits from the very first episode

Q. Please tell us what to look forward to in the first episodes.

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): As this installment is being presented as the 'Bridon Arc' rather than 'Season 3,' many people may be wondering what it will be about. But as always with this series, an intense development awaits from the very first episode. Some of the questions or lingering doubts you may have will be addressed, but at the same time, there is a heavy and profound sadness at its core.

We've talked about many things in this interview, but if you're familiar with the series, I think you're already ready to watch. So I hope you'll simply let yourself be carried along by the story. Please watch as their journey begins

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): Regarding the 'Bridon Arc,' it's a little different from what we've seen before, and I think it would be best to watch it as if you were reliving Lu Guang's experiences. In that situation, how will Cheng Xiaoshi respond? How will he act, and how will he come to feel about Lu Guang's abilities? You may even see Cheng Xiaoshi dive for the first time in the 'Bridon Arc.' I hope you'll look forward to all of that.

Q. So it seems like viewers should go into this one expecting that something big is going to happen...?

Toyonaga (Cheng Xiaoshi/Toki): Brace yourselves (laughs). But for those of you who made it through Seasons 1 and 2, I'm sure the 'Bridon Arc' will live up to that anticipation. Season 1 had an omnibus style, and Season 2 leaned more into mystery, but personally, I think the 'Bridon Arc' has a hard-boiled feel. I'm really curious to see how everyone responds to that difference. So please watch it with an open mind.

Sakurai (Lu Guang/Hikaru): Since the ending of Season 2 was so shocking, I think the 'Bridon Arc' may feel a little more grounded by comparison. There are still some surprises toward the end, and it's an important story that leads into Season 3, so I hope you'll look forward to it.

Series Info

Summary

Japanese Dub Cast

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