When I first watched Link Click, I realized that there aren’t many anime quite like it. Or well, ones that were executed as well as Link Click was. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve watched a ton of anime and read plenty of manga that have time travel as one of their major themes. Some of the biggest anime of the last decade were centered around the same idea. But that’s not all that Link Click is about. But what about other anime like Link Click?
I mean, obviously there aren’t any anime out there that are exactly like Link Click, which has a very unique premise that involves two friends, a photography studio and the ability to turn back time to help stave off regrets. But it’s how it blends mystery and time manipulation together that make it such a memorable series. It dives more into the human psyche, rather than just stay committed to the time travel bit. With its memorable soundtrack, gorgeous animation and genuinely peak writing, Link Click blows some well known anime out of the water.
But on first impressions, Link Click reminded me a lot of a better written Steins;Gate. Now, I know this statement probably ruffled some feathers but don’t get me wrong, I really liked Steins;Gate it came out too. However, time travel is something that has been explored so much now, and with much more interesting dynamics to it then way back when. What makes Link Click so special is how it’s a blend of the supernatural with the very real horrors of our own mind. Like, it isn’t just about time travel, you know?
And that’s the kind of anime we all want to see, right? I appreciate anime that take a pretty common trope and shape it into something that serves their unique purposes. And to compile a list of anime that did it like Link Click, well that was our mission today! Granted, not all of them involve the same exact themes as Link Click, but they sure as hell give the same awe inspiring vibe. So, here are the top 8 anime like Link Click in yet another segment of Get Ranked!
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8. Re:Zero – Starting Life In Another World
Isekai has been such a force of nature in the anime landscape for a while now. So, combining it with elements of time travel and the human condition, only makes sense. And that is exactly what Re:Zero – Starting Life In Another World is.
Our protagonist is Subaru Natsuki, a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) that has been living a pretty pitiful life. That is, until he finds himself Isekai’d away into this new fantastical world filled with races such as elfs. And hey, you’d think the guy has a chance to live a better life now, as is the case with Isekai. Except Subaru is very soon killed while attempting to help Emilia, a half-elf destined to become the ruler of the Kingdom of Lugunica.
But this death isn’t permanent, because he finds himself transported a few hours back before he ever died in the first place. And like, this should be an amazing and advantageous power, right? Subaru is effectively immortal, and his newfound abilities could seriously help Emilia, who he has quickly grown affection for. But he has to die everytime to activate them, and the pain of that death and a life lived essentially goes with him. How many times can he repeat that trauma and keep his head straight, even if it’s for love?
I have to hand it to Re:Zero because I had honestly disregarded it in the beginning. Isekai tends to be such a mixed bag nowadays, and especially with protagonists like Subaru, who are clearly meant to be an audience stand-in. But no, this series gets dark, with an intense focus on what time warping can do to the most well meaning of people.
7. Id: Invaded

I feel like Id: Invaded is seriously underrated. Personally, I think it is a combination of two anime that I’ve always loved. It has the exploration and mystery aspects of Link Click, but deals with a societal system that invades the psyche like in Psychopass.
Id: Invaded takes place in a world where human beings can enter the brain through something called the Mizuhanome System, something that was never possible before. This is a highly advanced technology that uses ‘cognition particles’ left behind in certain scenarios that can later be used to invade a person’s unconscious mind. This manifests into a sea of convoluted thoughts, a plane known as the ‘Id well’, that a person has to sift through to find what they are looking for.
So, something like the Mizuhanome System would be especially useful when it comes to determining crime scenes, which is exactly what detectives from Kura, a specialized police unit, use it for. However, the catch is that to dive into the Id well, one must’ve killed someone themselves. Which is where Akihito Narihisago comes in, a former detective who finds himself at the wrong side of the law. But still, he helps Kura through his confinement, known in the Id well as Sakaido.
Id: Invaded is a complex story that feels like it has a ‘murder of the day’ episodic nature, much like Link Click with its case-by-case premise. But it is similar to Link Click in the same way because all of these separate events add up to one overarching story that could change everything forever. It’s a seriously intriguing watch.
6. Tokyo Revengers

Gang warfare rooted in a sci-fi twist? Sign me up because that sounds so interesting. And Tokyo Revengers kicks things up a notch with a surprisingly nuanced dive into Bōsōzoku culture and just how far someone would go to turn back in time.
Takemi Hangai had it all: He was respected amongst his peers thanks to an intimidating reputation, the friends he did have were loyal to him to a fault and he also had a loving girlfriend, someone to come back home to. However, this was all 12 years ago. Now Takemi was down on his luck with nothing to show for it besides a younger boss who always insulted him and no notoriety whatsoever. And when news comes out that his girlfriend, Hinata Tachibana, who had stayed despite his downfall, was murdered by the Tokyo Manji Gang, well.
Perhaps that was his breaking point. Which is why he finds himself in front of a train wreck, aching to throw it all away. But before the train could hit him, he saw a day flash before his eyes, the very day everything started to crumble around him. Hinata’s younger brother, who was supposed to be dead, appears in front of Takemi and urges him to change things for the better. Turns out, the impact of the train never hurt him and the future has not changed. Takemi can alter time itself, and he’ll risk it all to save Hinata once more.
A Yanki-style setting with plenty of rough necking gangs and just a hint of the supernatural makes Tokyo Revengers an unexpected hit. You’d think that it would be a little cringe but the anime stays pretty sincere to the culture they adapted for this time travel plotline. It’s really hyped for good reasons.
5. Orange

If you could go back to tell your teenage self anything, wouldn’t you take that chance? Wouldn’t you try to make sure you don’t repeat the mistakes that might’ve led to pain in the future? The chance to save someone? Well, that’s the premise of Orange.
Meet Naho Takamiya, a lively high school student just entering her sophomore year. And while this is a turbulent time for most teenagers, Naho has things kicked up a notch when she receives a letter from herself, a decade into the future. This letter tells her to do specific things to stave off the regret older Naho has felt over certain decisions, and curiously asks her to keep an eye out for one Kakeru Naruse, a transfer student with a melancholic air.
Though, it’s after befriending Kakeru that Naho realizes why she was asked to do so. Naho now knows that they fall in love with each other, however Kakeru is missing from their future. Why? Because on Valentines day of sophomore year, Kakeru commits suicide. And Naho needs to change the timeline or risk losing Kakeru forever.
This series hurt, in the best of ways. You have unrequited romance, childhood friends that all collectively help a person in need, a nuanced take on how depression manifests from trauma and how destructive it can be. Orange does something so special from a setting so delicate, while never being preachy.
4. The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya

All hail Haruhi Suzumiya, one of the most iconic anime girls of our time. No, but seriously, the absolute tone shift in The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya is still considered one of the best executed in anime history, and I still remember it fondly.
Our story takes place at high school in Nishinomiya, where Kyon is an ordinary student that used to wish for a more interesting life, but his sardonic nature has made him much more realistic. Of course, the moment he settles with his mundane surroundings is when he stumbles into Haruhi Suzumiya, an eccentric but popular classmate who thrives on unpredictability.
From changing her hairstyles to chasing supernatural phenomena, if it makes her life interesting then Haruhi will do it. And purely by accident, Kyon helps her establish the SOS Brigade, a club that vows to seek excitement everywhere. Along with Kyon, three more members are recruited by Haruhi that seem unassuming. However, it turns out that these students are a time traveler, an alien and an Esper, all who have been sent to look into Haruhi. Why? Because Haruhi is a God capable of warping reality. And she doesn’t know it.
The premise is so intriguing because at first, you get the high school aspect. You get this silly slice-of-life where these clear oddballs are trying to not let a powerful oddball explode and destroy the world by keeping her entertained. And the entire thing is narrated by the only human amongst them. But the story is complex, leading into conclusions you’d never thought of.
3. Erased
If you like a murder mystery, you’re going to love Erased. With its elements of finding an overarching perpetrator by going back in time, while simultaneously trying not to break the current timeline, it is one of the most similar anime to Link Click.
Satoru Fujinuma is a 29 year old delivery man in Chiba, just trying his best to get by. However Satoru possesses something truly extraordinary, an ability called ‘Revival’ that saves him from an otherwise fatal incident by sending him a few minutes back in time, essentially making him avoid any sudden death sentences. But one day, he comes back to his apartment, only to find his mother dead, and the perpetrator still lingering around.
The threat to his life causes Revival to activate and send him back in time, as usual. Only this time, he’s flung so far back he’s in his childhood again, at least 18 years in the past. And he finds himself caught up in a mystery that plagued his little town at the time, even taking the lives of a few of his childhood friends. Satoru now has an impossible chance to find the serial kidnapper that was the catalyst for everything happening, before he could hurt those he loved.
Erased is one of those Seinen that quickly became a classic due to its unsettling nature and contained murder mystery aspect that made it so foreboding. The supernatural element of time travel is merely an accessory to the actual plot of the story, which is human connection saving lives. It’s honestly a beautiful watch, tragic as it may seem at first.
2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

I actually had to call up my friends and ask them if I could do a Magical Girl x Time Travel remix for this recommendation, and they totally agreed. Because say what you will, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is absolutely an anime that is similar to Link Click because a) it involves turning back to time to stave off regrets, and b) it is also slightly (a lot) homoerotic!
Madoka Kaname, our titular character, is preparing for a promising new school year with her best friend, Sayaka Miki. A generally kind hearted girl, she is curious about the new transfer student in their class, Homura Akemi, who honestly looks like she’s gone through hell and back with how intense she is.
But before she could make sense of why Homura treats her like she’s fragile without even knowing her, Madoka ends up meeting an injured Kyuubey, a strange creature that wants to make a contract with her and Sayaka, where they get a chance to be Magical Girls. And the entire thing feels promising, especially after Mami Tomoe, their beautiful senior, reveals to them that she made the same contract and she has no regrets. However, things soon go wrong. Very, very wrong. And it feels like only Homura has the answers to why.
You know how a predator lulls you into trusting it, and you know it’s a bad idea? That’s what watching Puella Magi Madoka Magica feels like. It completely deconstructs everything you know about the series as time goes by, and the tragedy of seeing the young girls go through horrors again and again is gut wrenching. Is there a hopeful end? Well, you’ll have to see to find that out!
1. Steins;Gate

Everytime I bring this fact up, people get up in arms. But it’s true, the closest anime to Link Click is probably Steins;Gate. And that makes sense, considering how it was the most hype anime, back in the day. Even overshadowing its source material, in a way.
Steins;Gate starts off in 2010 and follows the life of Rintaro Okabe, a person who considers himself a ‘mad scientist’ for running an underground lab in an apartment that he named the ‘Future Gadget Laboratory’. But despite his eccentricities, Rintaro is clearly passionate about science, specifically physics and the laws of time.
So, when he attends a seminar about the same subject, only to find the corpse of Kirisu Makise, a neuroscience researcher who was a guest speaker, Rintaro panics and sends his colleague, Itaru Hashida a message, informing him of the tragedy he has witnessed.
Only to realize that:
a) Kirisu is not dead.
b) the message apparently sent itself before he ever intended to.
So, that’s when they realize that one weird microwave experiment they were doing to see if time can be manipulated? Yeah, that absurdity actually works. And now powerful forces will try at everything to get that technology in their possession.
Steins;Gate is similar to Link Click in that it also feels unassuming at first. Yes, time travel is established, and the characters feel light hearted but there is an underlying current of something messed up going on. And Steins;Gate does instill a sense of foreboding when you’re watching it. Like, no wonder it was so popular.
Link Click was such a memorable experience, and with season 2 finally out, I know fans are hungry for more. So, I hope this list does them justice. Hey, it might not be an immediate season 3, but some of these anime here just might surprise you!
What do you think?
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