At a glance, no judgement intended, it looks like your work caters more to the male gaze, and I think Tapas demographically is pretty female. Especially if we're talking snap judgements from the thumbnail.
I think it's funny that this is about liking non realistic proportions, because as a child, anime was my first introduction to the idea that animation could look more realistic and feature complex art and stories. It was a revelation.
Many styles are about a marriage between realism and the right amount of simplification and exaggeration. Including your art? But it's not rocket science to say that when balancing the proportions of the face, big expressive eyes are appealing. So simplified features + big expressive eyes = a character that is expressive and draws you in while being easier to draw repeatedly. It's very easy to see why this style is popular.
Also, the way you say "so non realistic" like it's an insult is weird? We don't define the value of art by how realistic it is. (I don't think your intention was to be insulting, but if you've gotten some salty reactions, I would bet this was one of the reasons!)
On a broader note, there's no denying the popularity of anime/manwah esque styles. I don't think there's anything prohibitive about making art not in these styles, but it comes with its own challenges. Which is true of many things. It's not like being on style and on trend is a golden ticket to popularity, you still have to deliver, and you still put the work in to make the art. If your art is a different style, there's always the possibility that it will resonate with the people who want something different. It's a complex machine, and getting ahead is hard for everybody.