Fashion can be cheap and fabulous. Sunglasses can be cheap and fun. Teriyaki Beef can be cheap and satisfying.
Burgers can be cheap and delicious.
In the same way a Whopper cannot be compared to a burger from Buzz's-Lanikai, one shouldn't compare cheap with expensive sushi. Cheap sushi always seems so cold and sterile. The fish is about as appetizing as a dehydrated fruit roll-up. Flavor is nil, so you're forced to extract as much as you can from the shoyu and wasabi. And there's always too much rice.