Would you still like your favorite LI if they weren't attractive?

[konjikinoyami2]

For me, being attractive is definitely not enough. No matter how handsome an LI is, if he has a terrible personality or treats the protagonist badly, I'm not going to like him. That applies both to fictional characters and real life.

But at the same time, I can't really say that personality alone is enough either. If I genuinely don't find a character attractive at all, I probably won't fall for him romantically, no matter how nice he is.

I think what matters most is that he has some kind of distinctive charm that separates him from the rest of the cast. It doesn't necessarily have to be conventional physical attractiveness. Sometimes it comes from the character's experiences, worldview, personality, wisdom, or the depth of their character.

For example, Sou Moutoku (曹操) from Sangoku Rensenki is based on the historical/literary figure Cao Cao from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He's such a deep and multifaceted character, and there's something about his experiences and the way he thinks that makes him incredibly charismatic to me.

The art in Sangoku Rensenki isn't exactly the most polished or visually stunning compared to modern otome games, but somehow I ended up finding Sou Moutoku extremely attractive anyway. At some point, my brain just went, "Well, he's handsome."

So if every LI had exactly the same level of physical attractiveness, I think I'd choose the one whose personality, experiences, worldview, and overall presence make him feel like a genuinely unique person. That kind of charm can make a character become attractive to me even beyond their actual character design.

 

[DoDoPopping]

Actually, compared to conventionally handsome characters,
I'm more attracted to faces that look weathered, with all the marks that come with age.
I find the lines and creases in their skin incredibly sexy.
So older characters are always very appealing to me.
Skin that's too smooth and flawless is usually a little bland to me....
Of course, if a character has a handsome or beautiful appearance,
but their inner world is portrayed as rich and nuanced, with a real sense of humanity,
I can still absolutely fall in love with that character.

 

[caducus]

It's nice to look at pretty characters, but ultimately, they're just eye candy. No matter how pretty, if they're trash, why would I play their route?

I think Homicipher is a great example of this, although it's not strictly just a VN and also, people who like horror/monsters probably have different tastes than strict otome.

Mr. Crawling? If you told me years ago that one of my favorite LIs of all time would look like the monster from the Ring, I would have asked you if you were nuts. But he really is, and it's because he's absolutely adorable in the way he interacts with the MC.

 

[Shuyi🤍]

Um.. Yang i am so sorry...... but no. I'm playing otome for the fiction so why should I settle for less. I want to be lovey dovey with handsome men. I literally rank them initially based on their looks alone and it can impact whether I'll play their route or not. Also there are some LI's that are "handsome" to others but not to me, while there are LI's I deem to be so handsome but look icky in front of others so beauty is subjective. My fav LI's are the handsome red flag types and honestly Toma from amnesia perfectly fits my red flag criteria but I really dont like how he looks so he didnt end up becoming a fav. To put it simply if I dont like their looks I dont play their route. And if my fav LI isnt attractive to me I wouldnt like them regardless of personality.

 

[sweetymana]

Yes! I also like side characters too when they have same LI. But sometimes male lead LI can be repetitive so I usually like unique character. Even in the one of the otome game cupid paradise. I fall in love one of the male lead even though he is not my type but he have unique LI of unrequited love and friend zone. I start to love when the author make the story interesting with unique characters.