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Voice Actress Yu Kobayashi's Event Streamed Live

The Ustream website will stream an event by voice actress and singer Yū Kobayashi (Negima!'s Setsuna, Fractale's Clain, Baccano!'s Nice) live to computers worldwide on Saturday, June 4 at 3:00 p.m. in Japan (2:00 a.m. EDT). Kobayashi will attend the event to promote the anime Maria Holic Alive, which is currently being simulcast on The Anime Network. The live event will be held at the Linux Cafe in Akihabara in Tokyo. Kobayashi sang theme song performances for Maria Holic, Maria Holic Alive, Negima!, Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei and Dragonaut - The Resonance. Takeshi Washizaki will host the event.

A contest is also being held for fans who would like to participate in the event. To enter the contest, fans need to first "follow" the Maria Holic anime's official Twitter account, then tweet an "abusing" message to Kobayashi's character Mariya Shidō (who in the anime is a sadistic cross-dressing boy) using the hash tag #mariholinama. Fans have until June 1 to make their entries via Twitter, and results will be announced on June 2. Tickets to see the event in person will also be given out on the morning of the performance in front of the Linux Cafe. Tickets to the on-site event will be free.

In addition to the event at the cafe, Kobayashi will ride around Akihabara in a promotional car throughout the afternoon and evening on the day of the event.

Ustream is also streaming an archive for the "pray for Japan" event held on April 15 by the Japanese pop band Girugamesh with English subtitles. The stream features the song "pray," which the band wrote to encourage the people of Japan after the March 11 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) disaster. The event was originally streamed live worldwide.

The band's song "pray" is also available for purchase on the U.S. iTunes Store in both Japanese and English. All proceeds from purchase of the song will go to help victims of the disaster.

Source: Saishin Anime Jōhō, Barks