I'm indifferent to shota characters for the most part. When it comes to romance games though, they make me somewhat uncomfortable because I'm romancing them. I usually don't care for the personality the classic shota has, so I find I like the ones that don't behave like children.
Speaking of Souta from Otometeki Koi Kakumei LoveRevo, I like him. However, it was much more to do with him as a person rather than his looks. From my experience so far, he's the least shallow guy in any otome game I've ever encountered. How many super popular guys would date someone who is fat (upwards of 75kg) without any ill intentions?
Saionji Seri from Gekka Ryouran Romance has the looks of one, but his personality definitely nothing like a typical shota character. I enjoyed his route and that game overall.
Another shota character I liked from an otome game is Taruhi from Sakuragatari [R18+], but he wouldn't be considered as having a "conventional shota route" anyhow... Which is one of the reasons why I wasn't uncomfortable with his route being in an R18+ otome game.