History YMMV / HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix

** A large part of the book involves the Ministry and the Daily Prophet slandering Harry as "a deluded, attention-seeking person" who thinks he's a tragic hero and is making up stories about Voldemort being a threat. Since 2019, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_views_of_J._K._Rowling Rowling has made contentious sociopolitical statements]], particularly against the transgender community which she has framed as a threat to women's safety, while also accusing her critics and media of slander. The fact that Harry is punished by Umbridge for speaking out also comes off harsher given Rowlng recently condemned Daniel Radcliffe, Harry's actor, for being one of those opposed to her views.

** A large part of the book involves the Ministry and the Daily Prophet slandering Harry by claiming he's just making up stories for attention and thinks he's a tragic hero. Since 2019, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_views_of_J._K._Rowling Rowling has made contentious sociopolitical statements]] which have variously received support and criticism, while also accusing her critics and media of slander.

** A large part of the book involves the Ministry and the Daily Prophet slandering Harry by claiming he's just making up stories for attention and thinks he's a tragic hero. Since 2019, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_views_of_J._K._Rowli Rowling has made contentious sociopolitical statements]] which have variously received support and criticism, while also accusing her critics and media of slander.

** Also, a large part of the book involves the Ministry and the Daily Prophet slandering Harry by claiming he's just making up stories for attention and thinks he's a tragic hero. This has aged particularly badly as Rowling has responded to criticism by portraying herself as a victim of similar behavior, accusing her critics of slander (often threatening to sue them, as noted above) while framing herself as heroically standing up for her views in the face of persecution from the media. The idea of a famous person being desperate to stay in the limelight has also been raised as a likely explanation for her recent behavior.

** Due to Rowling's views on transgender women, the joke about boys not being allowed in the girls' dormitory comes off a lot harsher. Speaking of, Rowling infamously [[https://www.themarysue.com/j-k-rowling-appears-to-sic-lawyers-on-queer-critic/ silenced a critic by threatening to sue them for calling her a Nazi over her transphobic views]]. "I mustn't tell lies" indeed. In fact, given how her reputation has taken a public nosedive as of the 2020s, it's not uncommon for people to suggest that Umbridge was really her AuthorAvatar.

** Snape, after the revelation of the bullying he went through. It is not remotely an excuse for the way he treated his students, but it does explain why he hated James Potter and Sirius so much.

** Though it results in Umbridge permanently banning from Quidditch, and is portrayed as another example of Harry failing to control his temper, many readers were satisfied when Harry and George attacked Malfoy on the Quidditch pitch, feeling that he deserved it not only for making up an insulting song about Ron but for insulting Molly Weasley and Lily Potter.

** Though it results in Umbridge permanently banning from Quidditch, and is portrayed as another example of Harry failing to control his temper, many readers were satisfied when Harry and George attacked Malfoy on the Quidditch pitch, not only for making up an insulting song about Ron but for insulting their mothers.

** The thestrals are also quite popular for their UglyCute appearance and gentle nature.

* {{Narm}}: Hermione's voice acting in this game. The voice actress, Harper Marshall, who played her for the past few games was great, but for this game, she is quite wooden and often states the obvious.

** When COVID lockdowns began, many fans learned why Sirius was so frustrated at having to stay inside his house.

** Dumbledore goes for TakingTheHeat during the confrontation about the DA group, saying it was his idea. He then refuses to let Fudge arrest him, saying he's not coming quietly and breaking out of Azkaban would be a pain. When Fudge refuses to get the memo, Dumbledore hexes him and the other Aurors as well as Umbridge, with Minerva shielding Harry and Marietta from the blasts. He apologizes for hexing Kingsley to keep the man's cover and tells Minerva that Fudge will regret it.

** Lucius gets KarmaHoudiniWarranty. He's framed Ginny and brainwashed her using Tom Riddle's diary, got Buckbeak sentenced to death, and threatened Muggle children for fun. The idiot, however, ended up losing the prophecy of the Dark Lord to a bunch of underage wizards and witches and gets arrested when Dumbledore comes to offer backup support to the Order and Harry's friends. Even his bribes to Fudge can't save his ass this time. Draco tries to threaten Harry for doing this, even though it was Lucius's own stupidity, and Harry smugly points this out.
** Malfoy and the other former members of the Inquisitorial Squad don't suffer any academic repercussions for being Umbridge's secret police, as far as we know. (It's possible, however, because Harry was too wrapped up in grieving Sirius to notice anything but the days passing by towards the end of the year.) They spend their short time getting hexed, shoved into Vanishing Cabinets, hit with Bat Bogey Hexes, and on the receiving end of Peeves' pranks. When the group tries to ambush Harry on the train, they stage this in front of a compartment of former DA members. By the time the DA is done with the Squad, they resemble slugs and are left up in the luggage compartment.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: When the book first came out, it was truly shocking when Lupin and Moody showed up as part of the vanguard to escort Harry from the Dursleys’, since characters introduced after the first book (Sirius excepted) rarely showed up again before this point, and the Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers in particular were all [[PutOnABus written out of the story]] and [[OneShotCharacter not mentioned again]]. So these characters who were seemingly thought to be oneshots actually appearing again was a sign that the books were stepping up their gear and no longer episodic. Of course, now that the series is over and done with and new readers don’t have to endure the [[SequelGap Three-Year Summer]] it can be very hard to understand this, and even older readers often forget that it takes this long for many cross-book {{Chekhovs Gun}}s to start firing.

* WhatTheHellCastingAgency: Choosing to NOT have Creator/DanielRadcliffe portray James during Snape’s memory, despite him being the same age at the time as Harry in the story, was seen by many as a strange choice.