Marika's Love Meter Malfunction Premieres April 5 | Maaya Uchida & Kohei Amasaki Lead Cast

Spring Romance Comedy Dark Horse Arrives

The Spring 2026 anime season adds another highly anticipated romance comedy! The TV anime "Marika's Love Meter Malfunction" has officially announced it will begin airing on April 5th on the TOKYO MX and BS11 television channels.

This work, with its unique premise of "being able to see affection levels," combined with the intricate misunderstandings between childhood friends, has amassed significant popularity since its manga serialization. On February 18th, the official released the latest key visual and promotional video (PV), confirming that popular voice actors Maaya Uchida and Kohei Amasaki will play the female and male leads.

Broadcast Info: AnimeFesta Exclusively Offers Uncensored Version

This anime will be broadcast in two versions, making platform choice crucial:

• TV Broadcast Version
  • TOKYO MX, BS11: Airing from April 5th, every Sunday late night at 25:00 (Monday 01:00 AM).
• AnimeFesta Exclusive Version
  • Exclusively features the "Premium Version (Uncensored Version / No Cut ver.)," restoring bolder romantic scenes.
  • AnimeFesta will premiere Episode 1 on March 13th, allowing fans an early look.

Story Overview: The Truth Behind the "Malfunctioning" Affection Meter

"Marika's Love Meter Malfunction" revolves around a fantastical and hilarious core premise.

The male protagonist, Kanata Kitami, gains the ability to "see numerical affection levels of girls" after wishing upon a shooting star. Thinking it's a cheat tool for romance, he is horrified to discover that when he looks at his long-time crush and childhood friend Marika Chitose, her affection meter shows a bizarre "melting, malfunctioning" state, appearing negative or even malicious.

"Marika is always so kind to me... could it be she actually hates me deep down?"

Harboring this misunderstanding, Kanata begins a nervous school life. As the story progresses, the unexpectedly high affection levels of other girls in his class towards him also gradually surface. This is a heartwarming yet hardcore romance comedy that unravels the secrets of "two-faced" adorable girls.

Luxury Voice Cast and Character Introductions

The announced voice cast is quite splendid, with both main and supporting characters having distinct personalities:

• Kanata Kitami / CV: Kohei Amasaki A pure-hearted high school student secretly in love with his childhood friend. Lacking the courage to confess, he can only rely on his affection meter ability to guess people's feelings.

• Marika Chitose / CV: Maaya Uchida An extremely popular beauty in class, Kanata's childhood friend. Outwardly gentle, but the affection meter above her head shows a "malfunctioning" state. She also personally sings the theme song "The Affection I Want to Measure" (はかりたい好感度).

• Sayuki Toyotomi / CV: Ayasa Ito A cool, delinquent-type (Yankee) girl in Kanata's class who seems to hide a completely different side at home.

• Kokona Mikasa / CV: Yurie Igoma A cheerful dog lover who is secretly a super fan of romance manga and TL works, a veritable "romance radical."

• Niino Hidaka / CV: Rie Kugimiya A beautiful girl who moved back from Italy. Puzzlingly, an affection meter is "not visible" above her head, hinting at hidden mysteries.

Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

Q1: When does "Marika's Love Meter Malfunction" start airing? A: The TV anime will air from April 5, 2026, late night every Sunday on TOKYO MX and BS11. The AnimeFesta platform will premiere Episode 1 on March 13th.

Q2: What's the difference between the AnimeFesta uncensored version and the TV version? A: AnimeFesta exclusively offers the "Premium Version (Uncensored Version)," which restores bolder romantic scenes compared to the TV broadcast version, making the content more complete.

Q3: Who are the voice actors for the main female and male leads? A: The female lead Marika Chitose is voiced by Maaya Uchida, and the male lead Kanata Kitami is voiced by Kohei Amasaki.

Q4: Which character does Rie Kugimiya play in this work? A: Rie Kugimiya voices the character Niino Hidaka, a mysterious beauty who returned from Italy and has an affection meter that is "not visible."

Q5: What is the English name of this work? A: The official English name is Marika's Love Meter Malfunction.

Conclusion

With the premiere date set for April 5th, "Marika's Love Meter Malfunction," with its suspenseful "malfunctioning affection meter" premise and AnimeFesta's exclusive uncensored content, is poised to become one of the most talked-about new Spring 2026 anime. Whether you love pure-hearted romantic misunderstandings or are looking forward to the uncensored version, be sure to tune in for this new 2026 Spring anime!