Popular HYBE Idol’s “Lack” Of Talent And Visuals Targeted With Viral Criticism

Recently, netizens have been focusing on idols and scrutinizing their skills when it comes to questioning their debut.

Controversial Chaebol Idol’s “Lack Of Talent” Becomes Center Of Viral Backlash

Recently, LE SSERAFIM‘s Sakura was subjected to malicious criticism after a viral post criticized her skills.

Since debuting in LE SSERAFIM, Sakura has been hit with a wave of criticism about her skills, despite debuting years before in Japan.

LE SSERAFIM Sakura’s Response To Being Called A “Bad Singer”

On Nate Pann, an OP garnered over 75,000 views and many reactions with a post about how they didn’t understand how Sakura managed to debut, citing issues with her visuals, talent, and personality.

I honestly find Sakura the most questionable one in the idol scene.

Face, body, skills, age, personality, there’s nothing she particularly excels at, but she became a Produce center for Japan, got into a big company like HYBE, and even has a huge Chinese fandom. That’s insanely mysterious to me.

Kazuha, who’s in the same group, I can understand. She’s tall, has visuals, is young, and dances well. But Sakura? Even if she were Korean, I genuinely wouldn’t understand it at all.

I acknowledge her effort and persistence, but being coldly honest, there are tons of trainees who work at that level. Is it because she’s been active the longest?

— OP

The comments sparked equally heated reactions, and while some believed that Sakura’s influence in Japan shouldn’t be underestimated, many agreed with OP not understanding how she got to the point that she debuted in IZ*ONE and that without her Japanese idol background, she wouldn’t have debuted in Korea.

• She even kind of looks… old? It’s not like she’s actually that old, but for some reason Sakura alone gives off an older, dated vibe.
• Sakura is well-known in Japan, but she’s not a star there. If she were really doing that well in Japan, she wouldn’t have needed to come to Korea in the first place.
  Honestly, it feels like Korean middle-aged guys who liked IZ*ONE hype her up more than Japanese fans do.
• If Sakura hadn’t been a Japanese idol, there’s no way she could’ve debuted in Korea with her level of talent. She debuted in IZ*ONE thanks to popularity + producer favoritism, right? She knows that herself, so she practiced like crazy. Compared to when she spent 10 years as a Japanese idol, she improved more in 2–3 years of training in Korea. She doesn’t dance insanely well, but at least she doesn’t stand out badly anymore. Her singing used to be worse than a regular person’s, but now it’s about average.
• During Produce, her star quality was insane. You probably don’t know because you’re young.
• Her Japanese fame was huge. She was pretty during her peak, but she had a very “Japanese idol–style” look, not something that really works in Korea. She got in because of name recognition.