I think the main problem is that FEARNOTs need to stop lying to themselves that Sakura isn’t as prominent as their own biases first.
First of all, preferences are entirely subjective, and I accept this truth. This means that, to me, Sakura always shines brighter than the sun. At the same time, a vocal tone that some people constantly praise as beautiful might be a voice that I personally don’t like. However, I have enough manners not to come out and say, "Oh, her voice is good, but the song lacks technicality." Oh, by the way, the example I just gave actually happened within this exact same fandom when Sakura got a slightly longer singing line in Japanese.
The next thing is that you need to distinguish between whether she is not being talked about, or whether she is simply not being given the *opportunity* to be talked about. Is she being overshadowed because she lacks prominence herself, or is she intentionally being placed in a position designed to overshadow her?
Sakura is incredibly talented because even with minimal screentime and lines, she has managed to maintain her immense popularity to this day. Do you know that this happens because of her own brilliance? For instance, in the song "UNFORGIVEN," where she had less screentime than a horse, people still said that when they watched it, she really stood out. That is because Sakura makes every single fleeting second a high-quality moment.
Sakura possesses so many great skills, yet this fandom constantly tries to deny them—her facial expressions, the way she conveys emotions through her gaze while delivering vocals, her beautiful body lines and control, and her sweet, pleasant voice. She trains so hard that her vocals improve day by day, but this fandom never gives her any credit.
She has always been a main character—someone with charisma, star quality, and a powerful center presence that draws countless people to follow and support her.
(Sakura has carried the pressure of being a center since she was young, knowing it would affect sales, and she has done an exceptional job.)
I once talked to a Japanese fan who told me that because Sakura is so prominent, she will always stand out no matter where she stands, which is why others need to be given more opportunities. For me, I understand that logic.
But what is actually happening is that the agency deliberately denies Sakura opportunities entirely. Her lines are minimal, her airtime is scarce, her solo works are rejected, and even when she does get work, the staff creates negative narratives around her.
And if Sakura receives less than others, there is always an excuse that it’s because she isn't good enough. If that’s the case, why keep Sakura in the group at all? Have you forgotten that she was scouted to be a member of this group even before IZ*ONE disbanded? It’s because the company knew very well that her fanbase would guarantee the group would never lose money. Do you even know Team S?
You might think, "That’s not true, Sakura fans have already boycotted buying." But what proof do you have to claim that the current sales figures don't include a massive number of purchases from Sakura fans? Taking just me as an example, I’ve bought hundreds of albums because I want to support all 5 members of Lesserafim, especially Sakura. I have to buy a lot to win events, and I also want to collect Sakura’s adorable photocards, so I have to buy the full sets. Otherwise, I’d have to face overpriced resale photocards and merchandise.
Some people probably won't understand because they’ve never bought any, or even if they did, they didn't buy much. There's nothing wrong with that. But then there are those who love to mind other people's money, coming out to order Sakura fans to buy more. Well, what has Sakura received in return for my massive spending?
SAKURA of LE SSERAFIM shares her eyelash tips with the new Maybelline New York Body Mascara 🌸
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SAKURA MAYBELLINE JP AMBASSADOR
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