Art Quest

Art Quest (株式会社アート・クエスト) is a Japanese production company whose official website describes its work as spanning game localization, voice recording, voice direction, language-teaching material writing and recording, theatre production and direction, and casting. The company presents itself as a hands-on creative partner for "monozukuri" (making things) sites, providing English-language voice direction, narrator dispatch, and casting for video games, books, CDs, and stage productions. Its portfolio, as listed on its homepage, includes English voice direction and narrator dispatch for major video game titles such as ACE COMBAT X2 JOINT ASSAULT and ACE COMBAT X Skies of Deception (Bandai Namco Games), BATEN KAITOS (Namco), Katamari Damacy (Namco), Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (Spike), GUNDAM Target in Sight (Bandai Namco Games), Poinie's Poin (Sony Computer Entertainment), Gladiator Versus (Acquire), and Bravo Music (Sony Computer Entertainment). It has also worked on English voice direction and casting for Square Enix's Summer Story and for the Pokémon and Detective Conan English-learning book/CD products published by Shogakukan. Beyond games, Art Quest produces and directs theatrical works, including the musical Star Shine and a production of Monkey (Saiyuki) at Shibuya Parco Part 3 and Sunshine Theatre. The company's founder, Hidekazu Nakamura (中村秀和, also known by the business name 中村誓秀), is credited as a writer, director, and producer of numerous works, including the musical Shadow Game, the stage version of The Winds of God (which won a Cultural Affairs Agency Arts Festival Award and a United Nations Art Award), and English-language coaching for the Broadway musical Beautiful starring Nana Mizuki. The company also provides English dialogue coaching for film and television, such as the NHK Japan-UK co-production Yamada ga Machi ni Yatte Kuru. Art Quest operates primarily in the Japanese market, serving publishers, game developers, and educational content producers who need bilingual voice production and localization services. Its official website serves as a portfolio and contact point for clients seeking narrators, voice actors, and production expertise.

Art Quest is a Japanese production company that has built its reputation on bilingual voice production and localization for video games, educational media, and theatre. The official website presents the company as a provider of game localization, voice recording, voice direction, language-teaching material writing and recording, theatre production and direction, and casting. Its founder, Hidekazu Nakamura (中村秀和), also uses the business name 中村誓秀 and is credited as a writer, director, and producer across many of the company's projects. From the 1980s onward, Nakamura wrote plays such as "Kokuhaku Fūkei" and "Ato," produced by UPS and directed by Yoko Narahashi, which received attention in theatre magazines. He wrote and directed the original all-English musical "Shadow Game." He produced the stage version of "The Winds of God" in both Japanese and English, with performances in Japan, Australia, New York, Los Angeles, and New Zealand, including at the United Nations Headquarters in New York; the work received a Cultural Affairs Agency Arts Festival Award and a United Nations Art Award. He also produced the Japanese version of a Hattori Seiko VP, "The Great Challenge," which won a Dentsu SP Division Video Award, and was a regular on the radio program "Hyakumannin no Eigo" on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting as English Express/Grammar Man. He assisted in directing "Moonlit Club" (starring Hiroyuki Sanada and Miho Morikawa) and provided English song and pronunciation coaching for Nana Mizuki, star of the Broadway musical "Beautiful." He also coached Toshiyuki Nishida in English dialogue for the NHK Japan-UK co-production "Yamada ga Machi ni Yatte Kuru." Art Quest's game credits include English voice direction and narrator dispatch for ACE COMBAT X2 JOINT ASSAULT and ACE COMBAT X Skies of Deception (Bandai Namco Games), BATEN KAITOS (Namco), Katamari Damacy (Namco), Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (Spike), GUNDAM Target in Sight (Bandai Namco Games), Poinie's Poin (Sony Computer Entertainment), Gladiator Versus (Acquire), and Bravo Music (Sony Computer Entertainment). The company also provided English voice direction and casting for Square Enix's Summer Story and for educational titles such as Pokémon: Eigo de Asobu Mon! and Detective Conan: Eigo de Suiri Book (Shogakukan). In educational publishing, Art Quest has been involved in numerous English-language learning books and CDs, including works written by Hidekazu Nakamura such as "Oshare ni Hanasu Eikaiwa," "Hajimete no Eikaiwa Hyōgen 600," and "Suteki na Koi no Eikaiwa" (Goken), "Dialogue Basic 1200" and "Dialogue 1800" (Obunsha), and "Kurashi no Eitango 9000" (Japan English Test Association). The company also produced the musical "Star Shine" and "Monkey (Saiyuki)" at Shibuya Parco Part 3 and Sunshine Theatre, and directed the play "Lonely Heart" at Kichijoji Manda-La 2. Its film credit includes the 16mm film "One More Day," written and directed by Nakamura, associated with the New York Film Academy. The company continues to operate from Japan, offering voice actors and narrators in American English, British English, Australian and New Zealand English, and other varieties, with audio samples available on its website.

• 1980

  Hidekazu Nakamura writes plays "Kokuhaku Fūkei" and "Ato," produced by UPS and directed by Yoko Narahashi.

• Nakamura writes and directs the original all-English musical "Shadow Game."

• Nakamura produces the stage version of "The Winds of God" in Japanese and English, performed in Japan, Australia, New York, Los Angeles, New Zealand, and at the United Nations Headquarters; the work wins a Cultural Affairs Agency Arts Festival Award and a United Nations Art Award.

• Nakamura produces the Japanese version of Hattori Seiko VP "The Great Challenge," which wins a Dentsu SP Division Video Award.

• Nakamura appears regularly on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting's "Hyakumannin no Eigo" as English Express/Grammar Man.

• Nakamura assists in directing "Moonlit Club" starring Hiroyuki Sanada and Miho Morikawa.

• Nakamura provides English song and pronunciation coaching for Nana Mizuki, star of the Broadway musical "Beautiful."

• Nakamura coaches Toshiyuki Nishida in English dialogue for the NHK Japan-UK co-production "Yamada ga Machi ni Yatte Kuru."

• Art Quest provides English voice direction and narrator dispatch for ACE COMBAT X2 JOINT ASSAULT and ACE COMBAT X Skies of Deception (Bandai Namco Games).

• Art Quest provides English voice direction and casting for BATEN KAITOS (Namco), Katamari Damacy (Namco), Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (Spike), GUNDAM Target in Sight (Bandai Namco Games), Poinie's Poin (Sony Computer Entertainment), Gladiator Versus (Acquire), and Bravo Music (Sony Computer Entertainment).

• Art Quest provides English voice direction and casting for Square Enix's Summer Story.

• Art Quest provides English voice direction and casting for Pokémon: Eigo de Asobu Mon! and Detective Conan: Eigo de Suiri Book (Shogakukan).

• Art Quest produces the musical "Star Shine" and "Monkey (Saiyuki)" at Shibuya Parco Part 3 and Sunshine Theatre.

• Art Quest directs the play "Lonely Heart" at Kichijoji Manda-La 2.

• Nakamura writes and directs the 16mm film "One More Day," associated with the New York Film Academy.

A bilingual production studio for game localization, voice direction, casting, and educational media, serving major Japanese game publishers and educational content producers.

• ACE COMBAT X2 JOINT ASSAULT

• ACE COMBAT X Skies of Deception

• BATEN KAITOS

• Katamari Damacy

• Fire Pro Wrestling Returns

• GUNDAM Target in Sight

• Poinie's Poin

• Gladiator Versus

• Bravo Music

• Summer Story

• Pokémon: Eigo de Asobu Mon!

• Detective Conan: Eigo de Suiri Book

• Oshare ni Hanasu Eikaiwa

• Hajimete no Eikaiwa Hyōgen 600

• Suteki na Koi no Eikaiwa

• Dialogue Basic 1200

• Dialogue 1800

• Kurashi no Eitango 9000

• Star Shine

• Monkey (Saiyuki)

• Lonely Heart

• One More Day

1. 1Art Quest official websiteartquest.jp
2. 2Art Quest on Wikidatawikidata.org