I like both equally. The characters are appealing, the settings are unique and interesting, and I'm always anticipating the next episode. Sure, both have faults. They aren't perfect shows and they don't pretend to be. If you can overlook that, both stand above the average anime.
Both stories play out differently. Hime was about the 12 hime being manipulated into fighting each other, while Otome was about a world of otome and how thier power is used. So Hime was more of a character drama, Otome was more like an adventure story.
Hime's biggest draw was the shock factor. It started slow, some might even say boring, hinting and teasing that there is something behind the scenes, and then bam! it hits you in the face with death after death and the image of the world Hime built in your mind gets knocked away with a sledgehammer every episode.
There is no way Otome could follow suit and have the same effect. So I think that is why it tried to be more grand and adventurous. I was just as hooked on the final arc of both Mai series, both kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next. It's easy for me to overlook something I would consider a flaw if my interest is kept despite it. If you let the flaws bring you down, it's easy to miss out on otherwise good stuff. That's how I look at it anyway.
