Defictionalization / Love Live! Sunshine!!

• In addition to the numerous tie in merchandise (as detailed here) making certain items in the television series into physical items, the fictional animated idol groups featured in the Love Live! franchise double as real life living and breathing idol groups in the form of their voice actresses putting on performances as the characters. These groups have seen major amounts of success both in their home country and internationally, with Aqours in particular having sold out concerts all throughout the world. The resemblance◊ between several◊ characters and their respective voice actress is almost scary.◊
• Some of the memorial items, made to commemorate events in the series' episodes, are this, being lifted directly from the episode itself.
  • Episode 1's item is a photo frame◊ emulating the jumbotron that screened a performance by µ's, which caused Chika to become fans of theirs.
  • Episode 7's item is the shirt◊ worn by the MC at the Tokyo event.
  • Episode 9's item is the whiteboard◊ the third years once used to write song lyrics two years ago.
  • Episode 10's item is a bowl◊ and chopsticks set◊ used by Mari to serve her "stewshine". These are the first to feature the brand of Mari's family chain of hotels.
  • Episode 11's item is the hair scrunchie◊ Riko wears as a bracelet during the piano competition.
  • Episode 12's item is the folding fan◊ held by Dia at the start of the episode.
  • Episode 13's item is a hanging banner◊ printed with the image of the photo taken by Aqours at the end of the episode.
• Following the conclusion of the first season, the online store had also taken to releasing birthday sets for each Aqours member, comprising of a gift box, a pin, an acrylic stand, and a unique item related to the character in question.
  • Hanamaru's unique item is the teacup◊ she is seen drinking out of in the Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM PV.
  • You's unique item is the signature baseball cap◊ with her name that she is often seen wearing with her training clothes. While bootleg versions of the cap have been produced by third parties, this is the first time it was made available to fans through an official source.
  • Mari's unique item is a teacup and saucer◊ similar to the one she is seen using in the HAPPY PARTY TRAIN PV.
  • Yoshiko's unique item is a smaller version of the carpet◊ she used for divination purposes in Episode 5 of the first season.
  • Chika's unique item is a clip-on coin pouch◊ shaped like Shiitake's head.
  • Riko's unique item is a pouch◊ shaped like a sandwich, one of her favorite foods.
  • Ruby's unique item is the clip-on coin pouch◊ she wears with her exercise clothes. Also included is a keychain◊ of her logo, a lollipop.
  • Dia's unique item is a patterned drawstring bag◊ and a can badge◊ featuring an image of Dia wearing a kimono with the same pattern as the bag.
  • Kanan's unique item is a neck wallet◊ patterned after her wetsuit with a lanyard◊.
• Also from Season 1, Yoshiko's shark sleeping bag from Episode 10 was made into a real product. It also happened to cost over $400.
• Season 2 continued the memorial items:
  • Episode 1's item is a book and 2-color ballpoint pen, the latter of which is a replica of the pen given to Aqours by Love Live! as a participation prize for not progressing to the nationals.
  • Episode 5's item is a small plush◊ with a tiny phone strap loop on top. The plush is shaped like the dog that Yoshiko and Riko looked after. It features a collar with switchable dog tags inscribed with the different names Yoshiko and Riko gave the dog ("Laelaps" and "Nocturne" respectively).
  • Episode 9's item is the snowglobe◊ owned by Saint Snow.
  • Episode 10's item is a circular blanket◊ with a design loosely based on the planisphere/star chart that the girls use. It features stars of a hand-drawn style reminiscent of the ones the girls drew on the chart.
  • Episode 11's item is an oval-plate and spoon◊ that, while not in the episode itself, also feature the brand of Mari's family chain of hotels.
• An official life-size plush of Chika's dog, Shiitake, was announced on Nov. 30, 2017. It measures 70 cm high and costs about $250.
• Replicas of the Mari statue from Season 2 Episodes 2 and 4 had been displayed in real life; one time was at Awashima Hotel in mid-June 2019 for Mari's birthday, as seen here. The hotel even installed a logo sign for Ohara Hotels and Resorts.
  • Some cafes serve their own versions of "Youkisoba" (yakisoba with an omelette on top) and/or "Datenshi no Namida" (takoyaki filled with Tabasco sauce).
• Awashima Hotel has exclusive merchandise related to the 3rd years such as the star map seen in Season 2 Episode 10 and the Mari-focused "Missing" poster seen in The Movie printed on posters, clear files and tapestries.
• In the second season's ninth episode, Aqours and Saint Snow sing together at an event in Hakodate. The same day the episode aired, Lantis announced the Hakodate Unit Carnival, a 2018 event in which all of Aqours' subunits would perform with Saint Snow, ending with a finale where all 9 girls and Saint Snow sing the first ending theme to the show.
• A real-life version of Chika's plush lobster can be purchased at Awashima Marine Park.