If, after watching this video, you say or feel, *“Wow! I want to watch that anime!”* or *“I want to know the story of that game!”*, then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do hehe  
OC-MC (Original Character - Main Character)

The original opening song is fine, but I feel that “Adamas” because of its rhythm and its lyrics, fits much better with the plot, or possible plot, of an Echoes of Aincrad where we are the protagonist.

Essentially, it takes the core of the original EoA story but with modifications, heavily based on my [“What if” version that I wrote a while ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/EchoesofAincrad/comments/1vg1upz/echoes_of_aincrad_my_what_if_version_of_how_the/).

**THE GENERAL PREMISE, ALONG WITH THE OPENING SONG AND WHAT I WANT IT TO CONVEY:** 

The first shot of Aincrad’s castle doesn’t approach it directly. Instead, it initially moves away from it, almost as if it were trying to take flight before diving in with greater force, ignoring both the external and internal warning signs.

We, the main character, use the space that Aincrad gives us to release our frustrations. When it comes to combat, we behave in an insensitive way, deliberately choosing to be stubborn, relentless, impulsive, and even violent, which is how we wish we could behave or respond in the real world. We also feel “safe” acting differently from who we really are by using an avatar that doesn’t resemble our real appearance (while still being the same gender). We are, in general, a good person, but we are using the violent side of the game as a way to vent.

That’s why, during the first transition, when the Avatar closes its eyes, it hesitates at first and then does it slowly, wanting to extend every second connected to the world of Aincrad. Meanwhile, the real-world version of ourselves wakes up and opens its eyes hurriedly, and the moment it does it, immediately gets up, probably because we want to return to the world of Aincrad as quickly as possible.

Iori, in her own way, unconsciously empathizes with us, since internally she also uses the game as an escape from her stressful life as an idol, while hiding behind her male avatar.

Then, when we are in combat, believing ourselves to be “strong” because we are aggressive and act without thinking, the game knocks us down and shows us that we are actually not in control.

The Aincrad announcement happens, and we are forced to confront not only Iori’s true face, but also our own. This causes internal conflict because it takes away the comfort zone where we used to vent our frustrations through the mask of our avatar, leaving us feeling like an exposed nerve. So, beyond the importance of the deadly game itself, we gradually begin to attach a different meaning to what happens inside the game, allowing our “real self” to emerge.

It also hints that Iori is experiencing something similar because of her fear of being judged, which is why we don’t see her face until later. She was hiding her real self from everyone, while we were hiding our real self from ourselves.

Along with the chorus, instead of fighting our frustrations with violence and indifference, putting ourselves into an endless spiral where we constantly feel the need to lash out more, we begin to actually confront and overcome them through determination and strategy, developing confidence and mental strength.

We also begin opening up to more companions and learning to trust them, giving other characters room to develop

What we don’t know is that Iori, using her experience as an idol, has been hiding her real emotions after she found a sense of safety and relief when nobody confronted her for having been “hiding” behind a male Avatar. While we were healing, she was pretending to be healed.

At some point, Iori breaks down and loses hope, wondering whether any of this is even worth trying anymore. So we decide to open up to Iori about everything we’ve gone through internally. We even see someone in her who we consider “better” than ourselves, and tell her that if we were able to overcome it, then she can too. This strengthens the bond between her and us.

That makes us the anchor that gives her the support and sense of security she needs to keep going, allowing her to find genuine hope rather than superficial hope or hope based on pretending to be okay.

Scenes of Kirito and Asuna are added to communicate that all of this is happening in parallel with the original story.

All the strength we once used to lash out at the world is now transformed into a sense of responsibility for all the names written on the Monument of Life. We become determined to fight for them, knowing that the next name to be crossed out could be our own.

Finally, the guild emerges. This isn’t portrayed in the video, but in my mind, it isn’t solely Iori’s idea. It starts with her wanting to create a guild, along with the promise of meeting in the real world beneath the cherry blossoms, which are very important to her.

Sash proposes something like using the same name as the legend, but Iori says she wouldn’t want it to be a bad omen, like the heroes of the legend who died. Musho says it has to be something really uplifting every time it is spoken, and asks Stina if she has any cool academic idea.

She mentions that something very similar to “cherry blossom” is the Latin name of its genus, Cerasus.

So Iori suggests calling it “The Order of Cerasus.”

And we are the ones who get the final say, with options like “I agree, sounds good” or something more enthusiastic like “I love it! 👍”

Our final shot as the protagonist represents, in a single blink, that we are finally determined to face the threats of this world and be at peace with ourselves, becoming heroes who will save Aincrad from its silent apocalypse.

The “Echoes” in Echoes of Aincrad represents the resonance between the players, and how our real selves emerge within this world.

As I said at the beginning, we, the protagonist, are not a bad person. but we were simply making bad decisions about how to deal with our own feelings.

Echoes of Aincard opening/AMV but it's Adamas OC-MC