Sandbox / Vindicated By History Wick Check

Vindicated by History is supposed to be about works that were initially unpopular or poorly received becoming popular or greatly received as time goes on. However, it is clear the standard needed to achieve this status is questionable at best. There are some examples listed for works that either were at least somewhat popular or well-received at release, or did not receive immense enough reappraisal to qualify as a full vindication. It seems that the requirements for a work to be vindicated are too lenient in its current state. This is especially obvious when it was established that Condemned by History, when it was renamed from Deader Than Disco, was a sister trope, which has far stricter requirements as to what qualifies as an example. When those standards are applied, it not only stops shoehorns and misuse from appearing, but it also makes higher-quality writeups necessary, which this wiki always appreciates.

Speaking of misuse, this item also suffers from a bunch of it regardless of how loose or strict the requirements are. I was shocked by how many examples were just "at least it isn't this later installment/adaptation that is hated". I knew they existed, but this wick check shows they almost equal valid examples in quantity. Also, it gets confused with other Audience Reactions quite a bit, most commonly Cult Classic and making up a majority of the "Other" folder as well. Some of it can be remedied with the recently created Character Perception Evolution page, but others require further investigation.

I think the solution here is two-fold. The first part is to mandate guidelines that are identical to the ones on the Condemned by History cleanup thread. To translate for this item, they would be:

1. The franchise has to be truly unpopular or disliked at first. Things that received widespread critical acclaim upon release don't count.
2. Simply becoming more known or less disliked isn't enough. We need to see an actual resurgence, with people finding its previous perception as bizarre. Otherwise, every Cult Classic series or absurd children's film would be here.

As for the second part, the item should explicitly forbid examples where the justification for vindication has to do with a later installment/adaptation making it "better". Examples must refer entirely to elements about the work on their own merits to count as valid.

Correct Use - Comparable to a valid Condemned by History example (13/55)

• YMMV.A Fistful Of Dynamite: The film is much more recognized now than at the time of its debut: in 1970s it was panned as the weakest Leone, especially in US (the fact that the film was severely cut for American screenings certainly didn't help). Nowadays it is generally considered to be at least on par with the others, and some even think it's Leone's best film.
• YMMV.A Goofy Movie: The film was considered a B-movie in the eyes of Disney, except for Jeffrey Katzenberg, who championed it. The studio gave the film a smaller budget, compared to the studio's other animated works. Most of the animation was outsourced, which is why it isn't considered part of the Disney Animated Canon. When Katzenberg left Disney in 1994, the studio released it with a half-hearted marketing campaign. The film was a modest hit commercially and critics were mixed on it. While it made enough money on video to ensure a direct-to-DVD sequel, the movie faded into semi-obscurity for a number of years. However, the film had attained a cult following among those who grew up watching the film on VHS and appreciated its warmth, humor, characters, and its soundtrack. The film's cult status grew and by the time A Goofy Movie hit its 20th anniversary in 2015, Disney was willing to acknowledge the film's existence for the first time in many years and now regularly mentions it in social media posts. However, there are bits of And You Thought It Would Fail and Popularity Polynomial that obscure this otherwise valid example.
• YMMV.A Mind Forever Voyaging: The game was at first critically panned for its lack of puzzles and political nature, and was a commercial failure for these reasons and because it had a bump in required computer specifications compared to Infocom's previous games. With the newer perspectives from the amateur community on storytelling and gameplay, it is now regarded along with Trinity as one of the best aged Infocom games.
• YMMV.A Modest Proposal: At the time of the essay's release, many people were horrified by this essay and some English even thought this was a serious proposal. In the modern day, its both taught as an effective form of satire by schools, as well as used as a format by many other publications to support their own arguments.
• YMMV.A Pup Named Scooby Doo: This show was lambasted back in its day for its repetitive animation, formulaic nature and for contributing to the trend of "babyfication"^note making kid versions of popular earlier shows that was going on for cartoon franchises in the 1980s. Nowadays it's fondly remembered for being the one of the first Scooby-Doo series to not take itself seriously by frequently lampshading and parodying the clichés and tropes of the original formula, paving the way for later incarnations.
• YMMV.A Woman Of Paris: The film was a flop due in part to Charlie Chaplin's acting absence (apart from a cameo where he is unrecognizable). Audiences at the time didn't know what to make of a slapstick filmmaker embracing something completely serious. What people could only recognize in subsequent decades was that the film is a milestone in the shaping of silent cinema, and especially the development of the Chaplin style towards immortality.
• YMMV.Ace In The Hole 1951: Audiences and critics were originally turned off by the movie's extreme cynicism about news reporters and police officers. Now the movie is a well-regarded part of Roger Ebert's Great Movies list and The Criterion Collection. It did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Story, but it is very much possible that it was divisive and its nomination just barely squeaked by
• YMMV.Alice In Wonderland:
  • The film opened to a lukewarm box office and mostly hostile reviews in 1951. Walt himself voiced Creator Backlash against the film and famously declared that it had failed because "Alice lacked heart" (it's somewhat unclear whether by "Alice" he meant the film or the character). In the decades since, it has become better regarded by both critics and general audiences and is now thought as something of a minor classic. In fact Alice was one of the first Disney films released to home video.
  • This version of Alice herself. Walt felt she "lacked heart" (although he could have been referring to the film itself) but these days, she's considered one of Disney's most popular heroines. Kathryn Beaumont herself is seen as one of the most spirited and entertaining Alices (especially in comparison to Disney's own live-action version). Alice is even sometimes included with the Disney Princesses due to her popularity. However, the second bullet should be moved to Character Perception Evolution
• YMMV.Alien: Upon its release, Alien received mixed to negative reviews from critics that considered the movie's plot at its core to be a "haunted house in space" instead of being more ambitious like how 2001: A Space Odyssey, A New Hope and Close Encounters of the Third Kind were. However, the impact H. R. Giger's designs and the film's Used Future / Cassette Futurism made on a lot of Science Fiction media proved that it's the execution that matters and Alien is to this day an inspiring classic.
• YMMV.Alps Stories My Annette: The anime version didn't do well on its initial run, largely due to the book version being hard to find in Japan and its themes are difficult to understand for children. When it was fansubbed, it has gotten a kinder reception and gained a sizable number of supporters for its storyline, unique drama and explaining the psychological aspects of characters well.
• YMMV.American Football: When the debut came out, nobody bat an eye, and the band broke up shortly after. It was later rediscovered in The New '10s and is now praised as a fantastic piece of music, so much so the band reunited for tours in 2014. The album has been labelled as one of the biggest codifiers for the emo genre as well.
• YMMV.American Psycho: The film polarized critics when it came out. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating is only 67%, and its Metacritic score is 64; decent, but not stunning. In addition, audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the movie a D. Since then, it's been almost universally recognized as a classic. One can say that, once it hit DVD, the film really came into its own - commercially and artistically. In my mind, this is the kind of example that is really pushing it as a valid example. Is a movie that's now considered a masterpiece a valid example if the initial reception was only generally positive/slightly mixed? In Condemned by History, it wouldn't be the case, but usually it's seen as fine here
• YMMV.Amused To Death: The album was pretty low-selling compared to the Gilmour-era Pink Floyd releases, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell, and the controversy of "What God Wants, Part I" and its accompanying music video led to MTV and radio passing on promoting the album (Waters also refused to tour behind it). However, it has since gained in status, nowadays being seen as a worthy Spiritual Successor to Waters' work with Pink Floyd, to the point where it received a high-resolution remaster in 2015.

Debatable - Initial Reception not that harsh (8/55)

• YMMV.ABBA:
  • The more pretentious type of rock critic (and rock fan) liked to deride ABBA during their heyday as being little better than bubblegum pop; as Björn pointed out in a 2002 Australian interview, "for the main part of the group's lifespan, the critics despised us". The first major change in critical consensus came in 1995, when ABBA were included in the Spin Alternative Record Guide a reference book and review compendium of mostly alternative rock acts that nonetheless featured ABBA as its first entry, complete with a glowing write-up and album recommendations. These days, a lot of people appreciate the group for their musical and vocal craftsmanship.
  • It has also been made clear that rather than a faceless pop band, ABBA played pop and disco music because they were the most popular amongst the various styles they did. Björn and Benny could easily have been a hard rock band as evidenced by such songs as "Watch Out", experimented in funk with "Man in the Middle", not to mention the progressive rock stylings of "Hole in Your Soul".
  • Furthermore, Björn and Benny's self-deprecating sense of humor regarding most of their songs means that you know their cheesiest moments are just as cheesy to them too. Don't know what to make of this one. Perhaps if it was reworded to focus more on the critical part, but ABBA have always been massively popular and appreciated by most circles, even when disco was at a low point in the public consciousness
• YMMV.A Chinese Odyssey: The duology saw modest box office returns when it premiered back in Hong Kong during 1995, which weren't enough to sustain Chow's previous film company to the point it closed down (though it did receive a few awards). Nowadays the duology ascended as a classic, especially in Mainland China, where its extended cut saw box office returns that blew the amount from the premiere back in 1995 out of the water. Being seen as a magnet for potential allegories for life, especially on the topic of love, at there helped as well. Received quite a few awards at the entry's own admission upon release, so it is possible the appreciation was always there
• YMMV.AI Artificial Intelligence:
  • The film was viewed as good, but not as highly received as Kubrick's previous films, with some of the blame being given to Spielberg's "meddling". However, that response has softened since and the film has been received along with Kubrick's others as a masterpiece, a pattern that been carried with almost all of his filmography.
  • Notably, Roger Ebert initially gave it a score of 3 stars out of 4, and criticized the ending, but since included it in his "Great Movies" list. Ebert admitted he struggled with the premise since as a Catholic he felt David and the other robots couldn’t have souls.
  • Also, what might have helped was the revelation that Kubrick was largely responsible for the film's ending, and Spielberg did his best to incorporate it. Truth be told, it really was an ambitious project between two very different directors, as well as a heartwarming sendoff from one friend to another. Reviews were largely positive, even if not to the point of widespread acclaim, upon release. Much of the vindication seems to regard the ending, which I don't know is enough to constitute an example.
• YMMV.A Night To Remember: The film was a money loser when it premiered in 1958. However, now it is rivaled only by James Cameron's film as the best dramatization of the disaster. Even today, with the hindsight of the fact that Titanic actually did split before she sank, the sheer accuracy that goes into the sinking scene is stunning. Despite disappointing at the box office, the movie received acclaim upon release, winning awards. The rest of the entry is disguised gushing.
• YMMV.Africa Addio: To an extent, the film has found renewed interest for how, in spite of its sensationalism, it captures the birth pains of decolonization in Africa during the 1960s. That it contains, among others, rare footage from events such the Zanzibar Revolution and Congo Crisis further lends it some haunting historical significance. This was further lampshaded by Franco Prosperi, who remarked later on in lifehow the public at the time of its premiere "was not ready for this kind of truth." Does not discuss initial reception at all
• YMMV.Alien Isolation: While it initially had a polarizing (but still quite positive) reception, the game has gotten a much better reception as the years have gone by thanks to its brilliant A.I., production value, and stellar level design with even several sites that initially trashed the game on release admitting it's one of the best survival horror games ever made. One negative review does not determine reception. Critics were mostly very positive about the game upon its initial release, even appearing in some best-of lists for the year
• YMMV.Amethyst Princess Of Gemworld: The original comic book series failed to make Amethyst known in the public eye, but her shorts on DC Nation have made her a fan favorite, and most appraisals of the original run tend to be very positive. With more context, it might better fit Character Perception Evolution as well
• YMMV.An American Tail: The film received mixed reviews when it first came out, including a dreaded "Two Thumbs Down" from Siskel & Ebert. However, airings on TV and the love and respect of a generation who grew up with the film have elevated it to minor classic status, with many considering it one of the best (if not the overall best) films made by Don Bluth. The film did great financially and seems to have a solid Rotten Tomatoes score amongst critics at the time, so this seems to be an example of taking two critics' opinions as the basis for the rest of critics

Debatable - Vindication not that strong (5/55)

• YMMV.A Momentary Lapse Of Reason: The album has gotten more respect from fans over the years, especially after the remixed version was first made available as part of the Later Years box set and eventually as a standalone release. Justification for this change of opinion is not that strong. Could also be an example of Improved By The Recut instead.
• YMMV.A Nightmare On Elm Street 5 The Dream Child: For quite some time after its release it was considered among the worst of the Nightmare movies, but over the years has gained a new appreciation from quite a few fans of the series, who like its darker tone and atmosphere, mature and deeper themes, creative kills, sympathetic, well written characters and a more malicious, vile and sadistic depiction of Freddy than the other movies. "A few fans" does not show how vast this new appreciation is
• YMMV.Ace Attorney 2016 So Okay, It's Average: This seems to be the general consensus around this anime with fans of the games. Many fans point out there are several parts where the original games surpass the anime, which tends to go too fast and gloss over things, but also enjoy seeing their favorite characters animated. Fans have warmed up to the anime as a whole overtime though, especially after the polished Season 2 was released. Could also be Improved By The Recut instead.
• YMMV.Alanis Morissette: There are many notable parodies of Alanis's singing style during her peak in the 1990's and early 2000's. In 2015 and 2016, she returned to the public eye to promote the 20th anniversary of Jagged Little Pill. Now in her early forties, Alanis's songs from that time period still seem fresh as they did in the 1990's. Almost to ZCE levels. Also singing style alone may not be enough for an example on its own
• YMMV.Alien 3: In recent years, thanks to the restored Assembly Cut on DVD and Blu Ray, the film has garnered a larger following of fans who view it as an underrated film that had a lot of things against it: Executive Meddling, constant cuts that harmed the overall quality of the film, and backlash from many people who were unwilling to give it a chance simply for killing off Hicks and Newt or were looking for more of a thrill ride like the second film. The new recut version of the film is seen as a vast improvement by the majority of fans, who feel that this version stands on its own as a worthy end to Ripley's story. That said, the film's reception is still divisive at best with the film's many issues still constantly brought up. Self-admitted as still decisive, as well as leaning as more of an Improved By The Recut example

Misused - Stealth Complaining about a later work (12/55)

• YMMV.A Feast For Crows: While still probably considered the least-liked book in the series by most fans, the release of subsequent material showing how the plots started in this book thread into the main series along with the fact that the tv show cut about 90% of the plot from this book which resulted in controversial later seasons has increased the appreciation for this story in the years after its release. The fact that new readers don't have to deal with the long wait times before AND after this book also help its reception.
• A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge: While it’s not as highly ranked as some of the other sequels, it has been viewed more favorably in recent years as one of the better entries, with many praising it for still keeping Freddy as an intimidating and creepy force, some impressive gore effects, and even some enjoy it for what they see as an allegory for opening up to your sexuality. It helps too regarding the former point since the later sequels suffered from making Freddy too comedic to take seriously.
• YMMV.A Song Of Ice And Fire: A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons were criticized for having unnecessary storylines and character POVs which dragged the main plot. When the TV adaptation reached Season 5, many of these storylines and characters were cut, streamlined, and altered, leading to the most controversial and divisive seasons of the show. Many realized just how intricate Martin's writing really was, since the "butterfly effect" caused by removing and altering these beats radically altered the show and the characters beyond recognition, while also cheapening the verisimilitude for the sake of Rule of Drama and Easy Logistics which would require viewers to have Willing Suspension of Disbelief. As such, fans realize that the seemingly meandering plots written by Martin are indeed important and essential for the Worldbuilding and overall denouement. The fact that new readers came to the books with all five published, and without the long waits in the interim has also made the reception to these works fare better over time.
  • Especially true once the tv series was completed. Many readers complained about the insertion of "Aegon" so far along into the story, but his removal in the show led to a lot of problems. The show-runners elected to continue using established character Cersei Lannister as Dany's opponent in Westeros rather than bring in a new character, but the hated and incompetent tyrant was obviously not going to be a decent foil for Daenerys so the narrative had to bend over backwards and all of the main characters suddenly made a lot of stupid mistakes for Cersei to continue being a credible threat. In addition, the show tried to pass off Aegon's threat of being the legitimate Targaryen to Jon Snow, despite that character having no interest in the throne, which had the side effect of making Varys looking pointlessly capricious.
• YMMV.A Wrinkle In Time 2003: Played With. While fans of the novel still don't consider this a good movie, the reception has much improved since the 2018 film, as this one is a much more faithful adaptation. Literally says that people don't consider it good. Also can't play with an Audience Reaction.
• YMMV.Alatriste: While reception was mixed, the movie has been re-appreciated over the years after the disaster the TV series turned out to be, with people pointing out that, unlike the TV series, one could tell the film's creators were trying their best to honor the books and make an engaging picture.
• YMMV.Aldo Giovanni And Giacomo: When La leggenda di Al, John e Jack was released in 2002, it left critics and fans disappointed, being seen as a forced parody of gangster movies and relying on Black Comedy, instead of focusing on the daily life of three average people like all their previous films. Nowadays, it's fondly remembered by many fans for its clever jokes (some of them fairly quotable), funny moments, and being better written than most of their later movies.
• YMMV.Alice In Wonderland 2010: Though it remains divisive, the overall opinion of the movie has improved overtime. In particular a lot of fans look at it more fondly due to seeing it as something with more passion and creativity put into it compared to subsequent live-action Disney films. Also lacks a strong vindication
• YMMV.Alien Vs Predator: To an extent. The movie received a drastically hostile reception by all the three fanbases upon release, but after the release of the sequel and later Alien films, many have found redeemable parts to look back upon. The visual effects used to portray the Xenomorphs (which are actually done with practical puppetry and suit work, with a wise usage of CGI when needed) are also considered some of the best in the entire Alien franchise, in comparison to examples like Alien: Covenant's perceivedly weak CGI.
• YMMV.Aliens Vs Predator 2010: When the game initially came out, the game had quite the polarizing release with many furiously criticizing the repetitive gameplay and the confusing plot. It also had to deal with the fact that it had to contend with two incredibly popular games in the past decade. Now, with the disaster that was Colonial Marines, along with the lackluster media released in both franchises recently, aside from Alien: Isolation, the game is looked at much more kindly with many people remembering the game as a pretty good one and a worthy successor to the other two, and while the flaws are still there, they are rather minuscule in comparison to the flaws of future media in the two franchises.
• YMMV.All Grown Up: The show was initially met with poor reviews online, but over time, it gained a huge cult following. In 2020, thanks to growing nostalgia for it, All Grown Up was subject to a video titled The Strange Rugrats Spin-off That Kind of Worked. Especially in light of the poorly received Rugrats reboot making All Grown Up look better by comparison.
• YMMV.All Time Low: For those who hated Dirty Work and/or Future Hearts, a lot of them find Last Young Renegade is somehow worse than either of them. Reasons being that Dirty Work actually tried to stick with the sound they were already known for, while also moving forward, the lyric writing and production are better on it, and/or it feels like the band are going through an identity crisis, or that they're just cashing in on their past success on LYR like other bands, like Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, and Weezer (at points for Weezer, though), have been feeling like they're doing, rather than maintaining it.
• YMMV.Always Watching A Marble Hornets Story: A very minor example as the film still receives flack from fans of the web series who see it as an In Name Only adaptation. However, following the controversial release of the 2018 Slender Man movie, more people have come to respect this film, believing it not only did a better job at capturing the Slender Man mythos to motion picture, but many also felt it had more effort put into it. Nowadays, more people see it as a So Okay, It's Average horror film at best.

Misused - Actually Cult Classic (4/55)

• YMMV.A Bay Of Blood: In spite of criticism from industry folk like Christopher Lee (who is alleged to have walked out, mid-movie, over the violent nature of it), the film resurrected Mario Bava's career in Europe after a string of flops which cost a lucrative AIP studio distribution deal in the United States. However, the film was only given spotty distribution in the US on the grindhouse and drive-through film circuit and was largely unknown in the United States due to the numerous titles it was released under (the most famous of which being "A Bay of Blood"). But after it was released on DVD, it's now regarded as providing the blueprint for the 80s Slasher Movie. A lot of its kills have been imitated, ripped off, spoofed and homaged—most notably by Friday the 13th Part 2—but this one still retains its power to shock.
• YMMV.Adore: The album was regarded as a commercial flop on release (although still critically well received), but as Corgan predicted would happen to the album, its stature has improved significantly with time. A Pitchfork review that gave the album reissue an 8.5 claimed that Adore is called underrated so often that it can't possibly be true anymore. Self-admitted to be initially well-received, with a Cult Classic entry already on the page
• YMMV.Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog: When the series first came out, many fans labeled it as being inferior to SatAM due to the latter focusing on action and stealth rather than humor. This only got worse when SatAM got screwed over by ABC, and syndication markets continued to air AoStH even into the early 2000s. The backlash eventually died down by the time Toon Disney and Pop UK ran the series. During YouTube's infancy, a user named "sonicutie" uploaded most of the episodes, leading to their eventual use in various YouTube Poop, which kept the series from fading into obscurity. Nowadays, the series has gained a cult following among fans, with many even enjoying its wacky humor and fun villains. Uses "cult following", implicitly referring to those who like YTPs
• YMMV.Amesoeurs: Amesoeurs received little to no attention aside from the small following it had and nobody really batted an eye when the band broke up. Years later and Amesoeurs have become a staple within Blackgaze alongside Alcest and have garnered a big cult following that asks for a reunion to this day. Neige himself lampshaded it during a Facebook post and was surprised how the band's music resonated so well with fans.

Misused - Actually Vindicated by Cable or Vindicated by Reruns (2/55)

• YMMV.A Divas Christmas Carol: Upon its premiere in 2000, reaction to the film was mixed and many critics decried it as unnecessary and cheesy. In the following years with many airings in syndication, it's now warmly regarded as an annual showing and one of the better modern remakes of A Christmas Carol.
• YMMV.All Dogs Go To Heaven: While it got mixed reviews and didn't make much money at the time of its release, the first movie has since garnered a cult following, along with a lot of viewers who see it as Don Bluth's last good movie before his Audience-Alienating Era. The film was also a massive sales success on VHS, making it a staple of a lot of kids who grew up in the Nineties.

Misused - ZCE (4/55)

• YMMV.Abbey Road: Received a mixed critical reception on release, but became their best selling album and is now regarded as one of their finest works, displacing Sgt. Pepper in the popular imagination as the band's masterpiece. Could be valid (just because something made a ton of money doesn't mean it was initially well-received by audiences, if it's part of a franchise or, in this case, band that would be "too big to fail"), but the initial reception justification barely exists
• YMMV.Abominable (In reference to the 2006 horror film): It was largely overlooked when it came out, and the director never got another feature-length film to work on afterwards, but has received more positive notices over the years.
• YMMV.Advise And Consent: The film was not particularly successful upon release, but is regarded today as an intelligent political drama with a subplot that features surprisingly serious and sympathetic depiction of homosexuality for the time period.
• YMMV.After War Gundam X:
  • To some extent. While it has received an HD remaster last of the main Gundam TV series, it has gotten a number of "posthumous" high-quality Gunpla model kits that have all done quite well, its followup manga did quite well for itself, and in general the show is well-regarded on both sides of the Pacific by critics and fans at this point.
  • In particular, it's become a popular mainstay of Super Robot Wars; its appearance in Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden helped spur re-examination of the show, and the massive involvement of the show and characters in Super Robot Wars Z (straight down to getting the actors to come back into the studio to record an irregular number of new lines) has been largely due to fan demand. Entire entry has basically no compare/contrast discussion about reception at all

Misused - Other/Unsorted (7/55)

• YMMV.A Brighter Summer Day Award Snub: Despite being one of the most acclaimed and celebrated films ever among film fans and critics, it was submitted but not selected for an Academy Award nomination, though it would end up being much more of a cinephile conversation piece than the selected films. More "history vindicated how bad the snub is" rather than the work being vindicated
• YMMV.AKB 48 Both Rino Sashihara and Minami Minegishi were "demoted" from their regular positions in AKB due to scandal—but LOOK WHERE THEY ARE NOW.
  • Rino Sashihara was sent to HKT48 in 2012, which was the then-newest sister group only in its second year. Many thought this to be like an "exile", but Sashihara utilized her seniority and experience to help mentor the young HKT members, as well as promoting them on TV shows and other media. In the 2013 General Election, she pulled a Dark Horse Victory and won first place, beating Yuko Oshima and Mayu Watanabe! She also shares a concurrent post as a theater manager for HKT. After graduation, she is one of a handful of members who consistently remain in the public consciousness.
  • Minami Minegishi, a first generation member, was demoted to Kenkyuusei in 2013, and it didn't help that her public apology in which she shaved her head sparked a controversy that even reached international news outlets. But like Sashihara, Minegishi was put in a unique position to be a mentor to the Kenkyuusei, who were made up of the newest and youngest generations of AKB members. This allowed the group to polish their skills and coalesce into a performing team that would attract more interest in fans wanting to see their theater shows. In August 2013, the 13th and 14th generations were all promoted to Team 4, with Minegishi as team captain. Their first original song as a team, "Seijun Philosophy", ranked #1 at the 2014 Request Hour. Minegishi stayed as captain of Team 4 until 2015, when she became captain of Team K. She was later replaced as captain by former Minegishi Team 4 member Haruka Komiyama, and stayed on that team until her graduation in 2021. Actually And You Thought It Would Fail
• YMMV.Ace Combat 6 Fires Of Liberation: To a degree. In the years following the release of Fires of Liberation, very few AC players actually played the game, due to the console hop to the Xbox 360 that made many longtime fans seethe. After Assault Horizon dropped, however, fans became a lot more forgiving. Said players and fans gave the game a try, and finding out that the story and characterization are on par with the Holy Trilogy (or the oft-overlooked—and unfortunately neutered in translation—Electrosphere), AC6 had several good things going for it: a phenomenal soundtrack (no surprises there), solid gameplay accompanying tremendously large-scale battles that put the rest of the series to shame, and being the last major (read: console) title set in Strangereal for over a decade until Ace Combat 7's release. Seems to be more of a case of people not getting around experiencing it rather than either lack of exposure or a change of opinion
• YMMV.Alexander Nevsky: A rare case of this happening almost immediately. After Josef Stalin signed a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany, the film was banned for its anti-Nazi themes. When the Germans broke off the pact and launched an invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the film was reinstated and became incredibly popular as a morale boost among the embattled Soviet population. Probably better fits some trivia entry I can't think of rather than here
• YMMV.Alices Adventures In Wonderland: Critical Dissonance: The books were originally panned by critics, who found the story hard to follow and preposterous, but it was positively adored by its readers. It would eventually become one of the most influential and popular novels of all time. Is simply just an example of the item it's in, no long-term vindication is seen
• YMMV.Americas Next Top Model:
  • Cycle 3 fourth placer Ann Markley is the series' first notable Elimination Houdini. After the show, she improved on her being photogenic and had a great modelling career.
  • Cycle 7 had Eugena Washington, who had a shaky start in the beginning of the season, and although she improved during the show, she was never really the strongest of the bunch, many believe she coasted to the top 3 based on her model potential rather than a strong portfolio. However, since then she has worked consistently as a model, been in lots of commercials, and eventually becoming Playmate of the Year in 2017.
  • Dominique Reighard had a rough attitude that gains the ire of the other contestants and made it the top 4 in Cycle 10, outlasting fan-favorite Katarzyna Dolinska. However, she largely redeemed herself during Cycle 17, consistently turning out strong photos and becoming a fan-favorite in her own right during that season.
  • In 2020-21 during the COVID-19 pandemic and with many former contestants' ND As having expired, YouTube creator Oliver Twixt hosted interviews with several dozen ex-contestants. A number of contestants were able to set the record straight about meltdowns, drama, photos and more, most notably Bianca (Cycle 9/17), Brittany (Cycle 8), Jayla (Cycle 5), Eugena (Cycle 7) and more.
    • Brittany Hatch (Cycle 8) spoke up for Jael regarding the 50 Cent incident and stated that it was actually 50 who continually called Jael over to where he was, only to taunt her and ask her to leave. He also made a lewd comment about Brittany, which led to Jael standing up for her friend and 50 throwing her in the pool. Should all be moved to Character Perception Evolution
• YMMV.Anarchy Reigns: While the game initially flew under the radar upon launch, it gained a notable following for pioneering gaming trends of the 2010s. In the mid 2010's, the gaming industry was dominated by the craze of Hero Shooters like Overwatch and Paladins. That trend was then followed by the Battle Royale genre, which was codified by games like Player Unknowns Battlegrounds, Fortnite and Apex Legends. Anarchy Reigns has elements of both of these genres, being a Battle Royale game with set "hero" characters and movesets, to the point where one could argue that this game is the first example of these trends, albeit one that got ignored due to poor promotion on Sega's part. Absolutely just an example of Short-Lived, Big Impact

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