YMMV / Cloture of Yellow

• Alternate Character Interpretation: For the protagonists. Is Allen a selfless martyr who did everything out of a noble love for his sister, or a selfish Jerkass who committed murder for one person and glosses over the harm his sister does? Is Germaine a heroic revolutionary leader, as the people believe, or is she as bad as Riliane, bringing an entire country to war just to get revenge against that same one person?
  • Even in universe, people like Leonhart put forward the alternate reading of Allen's devotion to Riliane as being less out of brotherly love and more his own stubborn pride as a prince.
  • The revised edition, on top of making Leonhart's death ultimately a case of self-defense (as Leonhart refuses to stop fighting even after being crippled and forces Allen to finish him off) also suggests that Allen took up the duel with Leonhart to overcome him in battle and make him proud rather than doing it to protect Riliane, or both.
• Harsher in Hindsight: York is constantly suggesting Germaine have a drink while building the revolutionary forces (her abstaining out of grief for her father). At one point she responds that she'll drink when it's all over. And oh boy, does she drink when it's all over.
• It Was His Sled: Allen's twin switch with Riliane. It became famous long before the novel even came out with the songs, but the narrative still treats it like a twist.
• Narm: After discovering Michaela’s dead body, Allen's paragraph long scream is a bit...hilarious.
• Signature Scene: The scene where Allen switches places with Riliane, which is recreated and parodied even in official material.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: The Green Hunting—Riliane is meant to be liked and sympathized with at the end of the story following her redemption. However, many audiences refuse to feel anything positive about her after she enacted genocide over her jealousy of one woman. It's even referenced as such by many characters in-story as her worst act, and the reason she needed to be deposed. While she does get called out on this, we are still meant to accept her redemption at the end and feel empathy toward her. Unfortunately, her actions are so heinous, that for many people, no amount of last minute redemption or character development could ever redeem her in their eyes.