From the domineering, “daddy” Nobunaga, to the loveable bear-prince Luke Randolph – Taurus love interests tend to have tall statures, big hands, broad backs, and large… “personalities”, if you know what I mean…

Previous posts in the Zodiac Reviews series: Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries.

In our Zodiac Reviews series, we look at otome love interests who share the same star sign, and investigate the potential existence of astrology-based character archetypes.

In the twelfth and final instalment of this series (I can’t believe it’s coming to an end!), we’ll be exploring the traits and tropes shared by characters with birthdays between 19th April to 20th May; in other words, Taurus – the sign of the bull…

Taurus Love Interests

Artem Wing | Tears of Themis

☆ Birthday: 26th April
☆ Tropes: Onii-san / Oji-san / Tensai / “Dad“-type Taurus

He may not be old enough to be Rosa’s actual father, but his position of authority at the law firm and ‘dad-sweater’ wearing ways make Artem a prime candidate for the “Dad”-type Taurus LI. He’s a reliable and sweet love interest, in that awkward, stoic, emotionally-repressed way that only father figures can pull off.

If you’re looking for a soothing LI who’ll gaze gently at you with warm eyes and a proud-Dad smile, then I recommend Artem Wing, from the mobile otome game, Tears of Themis.

Theodorus Van Gogh | Ikemen Vampire

☆ Birthday: 1st May
☆ Tropes: Onii-san / Tsundere / “Bear“-type Taurus

Theodorus Van Gogh is canonically “large” (yes, in the lewd way you’re thinking of), which is an unnecessary, but appreciated, fact that has been forever burned into my mind since I read that one, iconic chapter in his route.

Nevertheless, while Theo may seem like a grumpy, sarcastic love interest with a thing for pet play, he still has a secret sweet side (presumably fuelled by his sweet tooth and love of pancakes). If you can make it past his gruff exterior, you may just find a fuzzy teddy bear lying beneath the surface…

Sirius Oswald | Ikemen Revolution

☆ Birthday: 7th May
☆ Tropes: Onii-san / Oji-san / “Dad“-type Taurus

Falling down a rabbit hole into a strange world filled with magic and warfare may seem overwhelming, but have no fear, as Sirius the ‘mum-friend’ is here to help. With his large hands, broad back, and towering stature, he’ll take on all of your worries and handle them with ease.

For a peaceful route with a cool “dad”-type love interest who can get a little bashful and a lot sexy, then I recommend Ikemen Revolution’s Queen of Spades, Sirius Oswald.

Oda Nobunaga | Ikemen Sengoku

☆ Birthday: 12th May
☆ Tropes: Oji-san / Kuudere / Ouji-sama / “Domineering“-type Taurus

Whenever I think of domineering dad types, Ikemen Sengoku’s Oda Nobunaga is always the first to spring to mind. He’s powerful and charismatic, with a deep, booming voice so intrinsically authoritative that you’ll find yourself instinctively following his orders, whether you meant to or not…

If you want an emotionally-repressed warlord to slowly restart his sealed-off heart for you as you conquer the world together, then I highly recommend Nobunaga. His strip-Go subplot is still one of the most erotic things I’ve ever read, and I’ve never gotten over how unique his route felt, despite maintaining popular tropes for his character archetype.

Asmodeus | Obey Me!

☆ Birthday: 15th May
☆ Tropes: Flirt / Narcissist / Idol / “Other”-type Taurus

Asmodeus doesn’t really fit the Taurus tropes I’ve mentioned so far, but he does suit the astrological stereotype for this sign. Earth signs tend to be grounded in the physical and material realm – whether it’s food (such as Artem and Sirius being good cooks, or Theo and Luke enjoying sweet things), or pleasure (which are definitely Nobunaga and Asmo’s wheelhouse).

Lust is considered one of these physical pleasures (which suits Asmo, as the Avatar of Lust), but his fascination with beauty, sensuality, and even skincare can all be tied back to this ‘realm of the physical’. Furthermore, he’s stubborn (think of the expression: “bull-headed”), and often charges off in his own direction, with little regard for the needs of those around him.

So, while he may not be too similar to the other otome love interests in this list, he still fits the Taurus archetype – just in his own, iconic way, befitting the Avatar of Lust…

Luke Randolph | Ikemen Prince

☆ Birthday: 19th May
☆ Tropes: Onii-san / Yandere / “Bear“-type Taurus

I started writing this post before the dev notes were published for Luke’s route release, and I originally had him pegged as a ‘deredere’ – a sunshine type of love interest who can be a little naïve, but generally just wants MC to be happy, even if her happiness comes at the expense of his own happiness.

However, the devs themselves have hinted that Luke’s kindness may be hollow, and he might even be the prince with the darkest heart yet, with one note saying that he has “a hint of yandere”. It seems my initial impression of his character was off, so any prospective Luke fans may need to play his route to find out more…

Recommendations

1. Oda Nobunaga (Ikemen Sengoku) – This was an incredibly difficult tier list, but Nobunaga came out on top in the end, as his route was particularly formative for me in my early otome years, and I just can’t get over how much I enjoyed the strip-Go subplot. His route is exciting, sexy, and the final payoff is deeply satisfying after working so hard to reach his buried heart.
2. Asmodeus (Obey Me!) – Obey Me, unfortunately, doesn’t contain individual character routes, but you can still get to know the cast through the main story, event stories, and card stories (e.g. in the ‘Devilgram’ feature). I wish the Avatar of Lust was a little more 18+, but I still adore his character, and I loved his character growth arc during MC’s first year with the demon brothers. Watching him grow makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and I still have a soft spot for Asmodeus that makes him one of my top-ranked Taurus LIs.
3. Sirius Oswald (Ikemen Revolution) – This was a difficult choice between the remaining Taurus characters, as all of them have their pros and cons, but I really loved Sirius’ route in Ikemen Revolution, and he makes for a refreshing change of pace if you’re burned out from dark and dramatic otome games. There’s nothing to dislike about his character design, and I enjoyed his slightly paternal dynamic with the protagonist.

This was a difficult ranking, so I’ll make some honourable mentions: Artem Wing is a particularly soothing character and my favourite in Tears of Themis. I didn’t put him in this ranking because his personal story hasn’t progressed too far by the time of writing, so there’s not a lot of romance with him (yet) in the game.

I really, really wanted Theo to make it to my top 3, but he’s one of those unfortunate cases where I enjoy his character more in other routes than his own. There’s so much about him that should make him one of my favourites, but I had some issues with his route that knocked him down a few pegs in my tier list.

Luke Randolph’s route will be out by the time this post is published, but at the time of writing, it’s still under wraps, so I haven’t yet had a chance to read his story. I wasn’t too interested in him to start with, but after reading the recent dev notes, I’m much more curious to get to know this “big softie” bear-prince…

You’ll like Taurus love interests if you like: men with large… personalities; big hands and broad backs; love interests with a super-effective sensual side; father-figures; and tall men who’ll wrap you up in a “bear hug” with their strong, muscular arms…

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