Watch Link Click in this order: Season 1, Season 2, Bridon Arc, then Season 3 Part One. Within Season 1, put episode 5.5, “Marrying by Contesting,” between episodes 5 and 6. Save chronological rearrangements for a rewatch: discovering what happened, and when, is part of the mystery.
This order is for the Chinese animated series, also called Shiguang Dailiren. The live-action adaptation and short chibi episodes are separate viewing choices. You do not need either before starting the main donghua.
The recommended Link Click watch order
Scroll across to compare all columns →
| Watch next | What to select | What you need to know |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1, episodes 1 to 5 | Begin with “Emma.” | The starting point for Cheng Xiaoshi, Lu Guang and the photo studio. |
| Season 1, episode 5.5 | “Marrying by Contesting” | A full-length side case. Recommended here, rather than mistaken for a recap or chibi short. |
| Season 1, episodes 6 to 11 | Resume with “Search of the Child.” | Season 1 has 11 normally numbered episodes, plus 5.5: 12 entries altogether. |
| Season 2 | The 12-episode second season | Continue directly after the first-season finale. |
| Bridon Arc | The six-episode arc, also called Yingdu Chapter | Watch after Season 2 even though it explores earlier events. |
| Season 3 Part One | The continuation that began on August 14, 2026 | Follow the official episode sequence after Bridon. Part One is not the whole of Season 3. |
Before Season 3: the route above contains 30 episodes or installments when you include 5.5: 12 in Season 1, 12 in Season 2 and six in Bridon. This count excludes chibi shorts and recaps. Episode lengths vary, so it is not a count of 30 identical TV-length episodes.
On Crunchyroll, open the Link Click series page and use its season selector. Check the arc name, not just the number your app assigns to a collection. Some services count Bridon as a third season because it is the third substantial animated release.
Where does episode 5.5 fit, and can you skip it?
Place episode 5.5 after “Farewell,” the fifth episode, and before “Search of the Child,” the sixth. Crunchyroll explicitly labels it E5.5: Marrying by Contesting. Its martial-arts commission has a lighter rhythm than the surrounding material, but it uses the same central characters and photo-based premise.
You can skip 5.5 and still follow the main suspense plot. Include it if you want the side case and more time with the central duo. It is optional in a way Bridon is not: Bridon continues the larger mystery, while 5.5 is a detour within the first season.
Already finished Season 1 and missed it? Watch it before moving on, or return when convenient. You do not need to restart the season. If your service shows 12 entries but only numbers up to 11, check for 5.5 before assuming that an episode is missing.
Why Bridon Arc belongs after Season 2
Bridon, also known as Yingdu, explores the characters’ past, but its framing builds on questions raised by the Season 2 finale. Watch that finale first. Moving Bridon to the front would change what you know about the characters before the original season introduces them.
The six-episode version begins with “So Time Begins to Flow Again” and ends with “Puzzle.” Treat the whole arc as part of the main animated viewing path. It is not a compilation of the first two seasons, and it is not interchangeable with the 2026 continuation.
Different release formats can divide a long installment differently. If a playlist appears to have a different total, compare titles and runtimes before skipping or repeating material. A split episode is not automatically an additional story. The six-entry Crunchyroll listing is a useful reference when checking your place.
Season 3 is separate from Bridon
Season 3 Part One began on August 14, 2026, following bilibili’s release announcement reported by Crunchyroll. Select Part One after Bridon. The announcement described 24 episodes planned across the full third season, with Part Two hoped for in 2027; it did not confirm a Part Two premiere date.
A platform’s local catalogue may not show every licensed season. If your menu stops at Bridon, that does not mean Bridon has become Season 3 or that the new season does not exist. Check the available seasons in your country and the language option you intend to use before subscribing. A dubbed release can also have a different available-episode total from the subtitled version.
For English audio, Crunchyroll announced the Season 3 dub on August 28, 2026. Choose English in the episode’s audio menu rather than restarting the story from a separate dub-labelled collection. Check the available episodes in your region, since subtitle and dub releases can run on different schedules.
Should you use chronological order instead?
The order above preserves the intended reveals. A scene that looks straightforward at first can acquire a different meaning later, so watching earlier-set events first is not necessarily clearer.
There is no simple season-by-season chronological list that accounts for every photo dive and repeated event. For a first watch, finish each installment as released. On a rewatch, revisit the scenes you want to compare after completing Bridon, rather than interrupting episodes to follow a spoiler-heavy timeline.
Chibi shorts, recaps and live action
- Chibi shorts: optional comic extras. Try them after Season 1 if you want more time with the cast. They do not replace episode 5.5.
- Trailers and promotional videos: optional. Later-season trailers can expose characters and situations you have not reached.
- Recaps: useful when returning after a break, but not a substitute for a first viewing of the episodes.
- Live-action Link Click: a separate adaptation. Keep it outside the animated watch order.
Where to start watching
Begin with “Emma” on Crunchyroll, or select the original first season on the official service available in your region. Check both audio and subtitles on the episode itself: the presence of an English dub somewhere in the catalogue does not guarantee every arc has the same language options.
You do not need a novel, a manhua or a detailed explanation of time travel before pressing play. The first case introduces the working relationship and the consequences of the job. If you are still deciding whether its mix of emotional drama and suspense suits you, read our spoiler-light Link Click review before looking up character timelines.
