Otome Games

So the genre poll is closed. Not too many votes, but it seems like otome games are popular. I'm working on hanami x 2 with yu_eriyama right now, which is, in fact, an otome game (see her design sketches above). However, it's really nothing groundbreaking. Two chaseable characters and a rather straightforward storyline. Is that the sort of thing that people like in otome games? I really haven't played very many, so I'm not to knowledgeable in the area.

What's more important, plot or characters? Is the game more appealling for chasing after the guys, or for a good plot where the protagonist happens to be a heroine this time around? Is it weird that I'm more accustomed to writing stories with a male lead when I am, in fact, female? Anyway, I've had a much more ambitious otome game brewing in the back of my mind. Once I Finish hanami x 2, perhaps I will work on that.