So H!P did gets its 'redemption' arc: back in S/mileage audition I admittedly only liked this girl because of her uniquely pretty looks (imo). She wasn't a particularly good singer or dancer then, she was kinda awkward actually.
But she has improved SO MUCH since then, both her singing and dancing, but especially her singing. If she can keep this work ethic up, she could be... One of the best o_o Of course, it's not easy to continue focusing on these things once you've already made it into a group because there are so many things to learn: choreographies, how to behave in a variety show, what to do when X and Y happens etc. Either way, I'm so happy for her and would feel proud if I felt I had any right to - honestly I didn't expect she could do this (I was only hoping...), so instead I should feel a little ashamed. But really, GREAT JOB Sakura :3
EDIT: I dug up my old comments because I love nostalgia...

This girl looks kinda Korean to me lol. Anyway, she totally fucked up her singing, but I liked her dancing and look, so sue me.
NOTE: I probably liked her dancing because it stood out as different, not because she was excellent like Ayumi or Riho lol
I'm rooting for Ota out of non-Eggs. Fujii is also very cute EDIT: She has also improved her singing tremendously from the previous round! Actually both of them did
(At first we thought her name was Ota, not Oda)
Aw the one I was ready to stan for didnt make it!!
I know I meant Sakura.
When she joined H!P Trainees:
HO!! HO!!! Oda was my pick, yaaaaaaay
Can't believe it's taken this long for H!P to get a Sakura :3 Lovely name tho
And the 11th Gen speculation thread...
Sakura Oda - Mang she really wasn't that great skillwise in the S/mileage audition, but I was still really happy to see her join the Trainees. If she was chosen for MM, she'd be the girl I'd have to defend because people would be complaining how she can't sing or dance very well. But I really like her look, and ~flair~ if you will. She's quite different from the other girls. And besides, her name is SAKURA. ...Ok, I'm not seriously rooting for her to win the audition and I don't think her chances are great at all, but if she did I wouldn't mind. Hello new far-left back corner, etc.
BOLDED HILARIOUS PART!! LOL IT SEEMS TO ME PEOPLE ARE QUITE HAPPY WITH HER.
LOL SURE I WASN'T ROOTING FOR HER!
The tide turning:
Also I agree about Sakura, I was surprised how well she does here... The Ookii Hitomi in question:
I'm starting to feel like my quirky bias for her is not so quirky after all.
Yeah...
Now it almost feels like this audition was made for her. She is indeed 'suppin utahime'.