For all its over-the-top action and side-splitting humor, my favorite part of this season’s breakout anime, Kill la Kill, may just be its awesome soundtrack. And as it hits shelves on Christmas day here in Japan, it’s pretty much the best Christmas gift I could hope for.
The soundtrack was composed by Hiroyuki Sawano—whose music you may know from Blue Exorcist, Gundam Unicorn, and, most recently, Attack on Titan. The music on the soundtrack ranges from J-Rock and J-Pop to big band tunes and slow piano themes. But I would buy the whole thing just for the powerful fighting ballad “Before my body is dry”—the chorus of which serves as the series’ leitmotif.
There is one odd thing about the soundtrack, though: the song titles. While a few are in English, the rest mix English letters with Japanese letters—e.g., “Kiる厭KiLL” or “鬼龍G@キLL”.
To hear 30-second samples of the OST’s 18 tracks, check out the video below.
The Kill la Kill Original Soundtrack will be available on Japanese Amazon (as well as other similar sites) on December 25, 2013, with a list price of 3150 yen (about $30 US).
The Kill la Kill anime is currently airing on TBS in Japan and can be seen for free with English subtitles at Crunchyroll, Daisuki, Hulu, Aniplex, and Wakanim (UK).
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
To contact the author of this post, write to BiggestinJapan@gmail.com or find him on Twitter @BiggestinJapan.