Sayaka isn't the type of idol I usually go for, but I still respect her a lot.
She's constantly improving herself, either with sports/performances, learning English, etc. She could probably even kick my ass

Despite this she is still quite emotional and she seems to have a strong sense of morals and values. This is a good thing, but sometimes she takes it a bit far. For example, resigning as captain due to that old man rumor. I guess she places the image of the group as a whole before her own gain. That's admirable.
When I saw her at the press conference at the 2009 Expo in Paris, I didn't really bond with her. I felt that she was a bit too serious. She's "on" all the time, if you know what I mean. However, that's a good quality, especially as the leader of a team and as the spokesperson for the group at that conference. Who knows, maybe she was a bit nervous as well.
Lately she's been developing the 'gorilla' routine, which shows more of her less serious side. It's nice, but I just hope they don't drag it along too long, because it might start to get hurtful.
So yeah, I'm glad Sayaka is around. AKB48 needs strong women like Sayaka and Takamina to keep the kids from running wild
