Summer 2019 Anime First Impressions – Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?

Before the Summer 2019 anime season started we ran a poll asking you, the reader, what shows you wanted us to investigate for you. Over the last couple of weeks, our team of writers watched the first episode of the poll’s top 3 shows and told you if they’re worth putting into your queue. Our winners were Dr. STONE, Vinland Saga, and given. But we’re not done yet! Here we are one last time, with a fourth wildcard preview, for Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?

Crunchyroll describes it like this:

“Masato Oosuki’s dream has just come true: he’s been transported into the world of a video game. But for some reason, his doting mother, Mamako, has come along with him?! A whole new style of fantasy comedy, where your mom tags along on your heroic adventures!”

But what does the preview team think?

Chris Brailsford

Since I had read the first volume of the source material, I knew Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? was going to be some kind of a ride. I braced myself going into the first episode, not sure whether the anime would adhere to the… for lack of a better word, unabashed… fan service portrayal of the mother character, Mamako, or if they would choose to tone it down. Needless to say, the show delivered exactly what I was expecting, so kudos to it for plunging ahead with the light novel’s premise.

Knowing at least what the next few episodes will hold, I imagine I will keep watching to see just how bad this train wreck ends up being. It’s a show where I find myself invested in how far they intend to push the limit of this mother/son relationship, and based on the ending credits and teaser for the next episode, the anime is not shying away from the more risqué sections of the light novel. Only time will tell!

Daryl Harding

There are only a few times in your life where you’re able to witness history in the making, be able to see events unfold in front of your eyes, and have a story to tell your kids & grandkids. Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? is not one of those times, despite what the internet has told you. I made the stupid mistake of watching the show stone-cold sober and other than some cheap laughs, it really didn’t do much for me.

In fact, Okaa-san Online (yes, that’s the shorthand for the series) reminds me of where anime was about ten years ago. Think of in the same vein as Omamori Himari or Witchcraft Works; while the plot is totally different, it has the same style as those two shows, that sort of “cheap” feeling that masks itself by making you look at the main girls’ breasts (the main girl, in this case, being the mother). If Okaa-san Online came out ten years ago, and I was ten years younger, I may have enjoyed the first episode a lot more, but I was only 16 years old then.

Which is disappointing. The original idea of the self-insert boy and his mother being stuck together in another world could have been a really interesting one, and by the sounds of fans of the light novel, it was pretty good. I can also tell that Pochi’s (light novel illustrator) original character designs, adapted to anime by Yohei Yaegashi (animation director on Food Wars, WIXOSS), were very good. It’s just a shame that the team at J.C. Staff got their hands on the show, and with their less than stellar production pipeline and quick turnaround of shows, Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? just doesn’t get the justice it deserves.

Basically, if you can, have a few drinks before watching the series (and shots ready for every boob shot). I know I will, if I can ever be bothered with another episode.

Matthew Newman

The first episode of Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? very rapidly gets you into the story of Masato and his mother, Mamako, being sucked into a video game. We are introduced to Masato as a typical teenager who thinks very little of his mom. Mamako only wants to get her son’s attention to grow closer together. With that mentality, she seems to decide to let them get pulled into this video game. It is not the worst premise I have ever heard. Yet, throughout the episode, there were hints at romantic tension between the two and a constant objectification of Mamako. While her warrior status was shown for comedic effect, so was her body. Low cut tops with constant boob jiggling and books pulled from her cleavage solidified her status as the object of lust for the viewer. It was unsettling.

What makes it worse is how much the opening and closing song animations imply an eventual romance between Mother and Son. While a mostly innocuous first episode slammed through some make-shift plot to get you interested, it laid the foundation of a show that I truly do not want to watch.

Bill Curtis

Intimately familiar with the source material as I am, I couldn’t resist watching the first episode of the anime (and subjecting as much of the preview team to it as I could). Keeping in mind that it set its own bar very low, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it in spite of my expectations.

The show’s promotional material jokes about a taboo relationship between ostensible main character Masato and the titular mom, Mamako. But at least in this first episode, their relationship was normal and believable. One of my complaints with the source material was that both of them were kind of obnoxious, but here Masato is mostly just childish and not as outright rude. Mamako for her part seems less clingy and more aware of her son’s feelings, and thus much more endearing.

From a visual standpoint, there are flashes of brilliance. I’m a big fan of Iida Pochi as a character designer, and their designs translate well to animation. Parts of some scenes are lavishly animated and well-directed. Many parts look quite bad. The anime added much less fan service than I expected, which takes some of the mom & son creep factor out. There’s definitely still fan service though, and the second episode looks to be much more naked.

There are a few nice small touches too, like the loading screens between scenes and the little 8-bit fanfares that played when characters picked up items. The comedy seemed more effective in motion than in prose, coming off more dry than just bland or mean. From a craft standpoint, the show probably won’t win any awards, but it is at least just north of competent.

Ultimately this show lives or dies on how much you like Mamako, either as a character or a sex symbol. I don’t think the show’s visual or sound design improve enough on the near-rock bottom core concept to make me commit to watching it week to week, but I do think Mamako is cute, and there’s potential for a few thoughtful musings on family and the nature of the isekai genre down the line. So I’ll watch one more episode at least.

Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? can be watched on Crunchyroll, VRV, AbemaTV, Wakanim, AnimeLab, and bilibili

Be sure to check out our other Summer 2019 anime first impressions:

• Summer 2019 Anime First Impressions – Dr. STONE
• Summer 2019 Anime First Impressions – given
• Summer 2019 Anime First Impressions – Vinland Saga