naruto_han

I think the whole appeal of Sasusaku and even yaoi for that matter is the whole concept of unattainable or forbidden love. Some people like the idea of the love that tries to transcend different obstacles. They think that if it can do that then the relationship is a sure-fire winner.

For example, Sasusaku fans want Sasuke and Sakura to rekindle their "feelings" after having been distanced by time, Orochimaru and various other factors. They see the relationship as this superficial thing that they want them both to grasp. There are so many obstacles in their way the relationship seems impossible to actually happen, but the idea of it working and overcoming those obstacles are supposed to make it worthwhile. If they were to see Sasuke come back, sweep Sakura off her feet then they feel vindicated because their love held strong despite everything that happened. I think another mentality is that Sasuke is a good looking guy so why not pair up the good looking guy with the good looking girl (and frankly that's how most fandom pairings work).

The popularity of yaoi has the same sort of principles. There's that forbidden love factor and the obstacles that both guys need to overcome. Also, a lot of girls think that seeing two cute guys making out is hot . Though I'm not personally a yaoi fangirl, even I have to admit that the shot of a naked Sasuke and Sai in that intimate pose was drool-worthy material. Does that mean I want to see them in a relationship? Heck no! But the thought of it does make me grin a bit and that's where I think a lot of the Sasusaku fans and yaoi fans are coming from.

On the other hand, Narusaku is the type of relationship you could see a real-life married couple having in their younger days. It's built on the sort of foundations that make for a happy relationship that lasts. It's not as appealing for those who want to see more of that forbidden love or love after overcoming huge obstacles because Naruto and Sakura don't have that sort of baggage. The only obstacle that they face is with the Kyuubi. Another thing is that Sakura and Naruto are friends and they generally get along with each other. There's no tension because of distance or feeling that they can't be together because of gender, ditching Konoha or attempts to kill crazy kin. It's probably because Narusaku seems so safe and more based on how real relationships develop that people don't favor it as much.

Fans are in it for the fantasy, not the reality. They'll go for the pairing not because it's more real to them, but because they think it's hotter.

I hadn't ever heard that NaruSaku was in the lead in Japan (among the het pairings even - I assume we're not counting NaruSasu or KakaIru). I thought that we'd always trailed by quite a bit over there.

As did I last I heard Narusaku was in the lead.