The runtime should be roughly the same as Movie 1, but honestly, I think it could be a bit longer, maybe not a full three hours, but around two hours and forty-five minutes. Ultimately, it depends on which moment from the manga the movie chooses to end on and how spectacular the scenes are throughout, such as extra fight sequences, thorough exploration of backstories, and well-paced quieter moments.
Matching Movie 1’s length is definitely doable, but it would feel underwhelming if Movie 2 received less care as an adaptation. Imagine if Akaza’s backstory in the first movie was trimmed down and rushed through, even if it remained faithful to the source material. It might have been watchable, but it would have lacked the artistry in direction, visuals, music, and their seamless integration.
I do not want to see that happen with Movie 2 or 3. However, after seeing, say, how the Swordsmith Village arc anime was handled, I cannot say it is entirely impossible. I know, I know, a TV series ain't a movie, though still the anime got adapted properly. Faithful to the manga, flashy at times, but without many elements (ironically, mostly canon ones, like Gyokko's backstory that was told in one Fanbook) added as extra stuff. |