Critical Reception
Shion as seen in Xenosaga Episode I has been called "cute" and "likable" by critics. IGN also praised the more realistic character designs seen in Episode II, noting that Shion's design became "more flattering", having "been injected with ye old "Babe Serum."" RPGamer also praised the design change, though they felt that Shion's lack of glasses in that episode was "amusing". In a review of the first volume of Xenosaga: The Animation, GameSpot compared Shion and KOS-MOS to "the ultimate fanboy fan-service pair", feeling that Shion was an example of a "cute, yet smart glasses girl".
Personalitywise, Shion has been described by GameSpot as being "pretty straightforward as a heroine, though maybe a little ditzy for someone who's supposedly one of the best scientists in the galaxy". On the other hand, IGN felt that the character was "more complicated than she first lets on". In a review of the Xenosaga anime, another reviewer from IGN noted that Shion's idealism and naivety were out of place considering her tragic past, and that it was annoying "since it seems to happen a lot with anime heroines". GameSpy echoed this concern, stating that Shion was "often naïve to the point of unbelievability".
On voice acting, GameSpy felt Shion in Episode I was "excellent" despite the game not having "Hollywood-quality" acting. The site called the character a "calm center" around which the rest of the game is built. IGN considered Shion's voice acting was "surprisingly strong", and that it was a good point since she was the character the player would hear most. In Episode II however, PALGN felt that Shion's voice actress was "terrible" and overacting compared to most other characters.
Read more about this topic: Shion Uzuki
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