A reality-bending time loop comes alive at a typical cafe in Hongdae. A collaboration between Korean entertainment company Toonique and the anime series “Link Click” transformed a renovated villa home into a pop-up cafe from July 30 to Aug. 24. Together, they serve up anime eye candy with the original artist’s unique art style in both production and merchandise.

“Link Click,” an anime series from bilibili (Chinese video platform), follows a supernatural plot that revolves around the protagonists’ unique abilities. In Time Photo Studio, Cheng Xiaoshi enters old photos to resolve people’s past regrets, while Lu Guang stays in the real world to forge a route for Xiaoshi to follow. Together, they progress through various challenges to meet their clients’ requests.

Fascinated by the storyline, I reserved a time slot for my visit. When I finally arrived at Hongdae, a two-floor villa greeted me.

Compared to other collaboration cafes I’ve visited in the past, it had a smaller scale than expected. It let me down a little, but soon, my impression took a 180º—the aesthetic decorations filled the interior, and my heart skipped a beat.

The staff instructed me to stay on the second floor until my reserved time. The room offered various spectacles, like a replica of the anime’s printing machine, a screen displaying the teasers, and a glass cabinet that showcased items from past collaborations. The familiar faces in the display thrilled me, and the videos helped me get to know the anime better.

When I finally entered the main area, character stands and tables with the anime’s illustrations greeted me. The artworks’ unique art style immediately caught my eye—expectedly, “Link Click” garnered attention as it involved INPLICK, one of my favorite artists. 

INPLICK participated in all of the illustrations in the building as well. But she swapped out her typical vibrant color schemes with a monochromatic palette that better suited the anime. She still incorporated her own charm into the characters, and the collaboration cafe captured her altered style perfectly.

At the café, I ordered Shapei’s pineapple ade, Time Photo Studio cheese cake, and illustration cookies that came with cardboard anime-themed coasters. The drink had a tangy flavor with a refreshing piece of pineapple and sweetish syrup, and it went perfectly well with the chocolatey sugar cookies. 

The cheesecake came with a Time Photo Studio decoration, and it had a puffy and creamy texture with a deep cheese flavor. While it tasted incredible, 8,000 won seemed a bit much for one piece each. 

In defense of the costs, each order came with freebies and stamps that I could collect for prizes, which included coasters and removable stickers. This offer enabled fans to get their hands on souvenirs without separate purchases. Free giveaways like this rarely happen in money-hungry anime collaborations, and it warmed my heart to see that the cafe cared about the fans’ affection for “Link Click.” 

After all the desserts, I wandered around the cafe to look for event-exclusive merchandise. These included photocards, posters, and many more, and I found them all on a few shelves near the kitchen. 

Most of the main goods, like character acrylic stands, started at 30,000 won. Because of the appalling price tag, I only bought INPLICK’s official art book and a few packs of collaboration photocards—the only ones that seemed worth their cost. 

Each photocard pack sold for 3,500 won and came with two pieces out of 10 different designs. The collectibles featured INPLICK’s unique artwork at a reasonable price and high print quality. The paper seemed thin and cheap, but the appeal of limited-edition illustrations overrode the cons.

My adventure didn’t end there—another room full of surprises awaited me. A thick black curtain initially concealed the exhibition, so at first, I thought I couldn’t enter. But once the staff unveiled the area, I got a rush of amazement—the setup perfectly captured the essence of the anime.

As I walked in, I spotted spooky decorations everywhere amidst the red light—fake blood on the floor, video film tapes on the ceiling, and many other details in the printed photos. It made me feel like the protagonist of the story, there at the actual crime scene. 

Overall, I would rate the experience a 9/10. The immersive scenes left me in absolute awe, and the various sweets exceeded my expectations despite the high costs. The interactive exhibition with remarkable detail gave me a dopamine rush and washed away all my exhaustion. 

The event only lasted an hour, but it felt like enough to fully enjoy, feel, and taste everything the cafe offered. This extraordinary experience set the bar high for future collaboration cafes, and I hope to visit more of these events for a moment of recreation.