First of all I'm a pretty series and aikatsu fan and I love everything they make. I'm just a bit disappointed because Ring-Hen as a whole could be much better than it was. The biggest problem by far is introducing the new buzzlume changes and making it a rule to learn it in order to participate in grand prix. Budget wise what we basically get is Himari/Mitsuki vs whoever duo happens to be the them of the buzzlume and for plot reasons the winners are incredibly predictable. But fair, Himitsu no Aipri was never about the competition, but the problem is that once their buzzlume theme grandprix is done they literally do nothing (the new characters I mean), they get 5-7 ish episodes each to develop their relationship, their duo and relegated to being background characters.

It REALLY sucks because I love Elle and Julia, and Vivi, but they literally get nothing. And we also lose Quartet STAR for literally most of the show so if you liked them (like me) then screw you. Also Tsumugi despite being present has this ''I have no tomodachi energy'' for like 25 episodes because they decided early on that they'd pair her with Ring Hime so they can't afford to give her much else. And so much for their unbreakable bond, Secret Friends despite being a trio they literally treat Tsumugi as disposable and the show is Himari/Mitsuki duo again.

This is more of an Aipri in general problem but jeez the amount of recap episodes is crazy. I didn't make the count but I swear the episodes with only ONE live are really scarce, and song variety isn't that great. It felt like they ran out of budget, because why would Julia, Elle and Subaru have solo lives and the others either get none (Like Otome) or get a solo version of their duo song like Vivi or Ring Hime. They genuinely baited me thinking Julia and Elle would be important.

Idk if this is a budget problem because man when they actually make episodes with no filler and recaps it's actually really good. When they let the cast shine beyond the Ring Hime constraints they make a lot of fun, like episode 50, or that Airi episode. They kinda broke the ''script'' and were a breath of fresh air.

Himitsu no Aipri season 1 still had a lot of problems like the nonexistent pacing and the recaps near the end but at least you didn't know what was waiting for you. Once you know how Ring Hen operates it's always the same: Buzzlume type 1 -> duo vs Himari/Mitsuki -> buzzlume type 2 and so on.

Part of what I like about these idol shows is precisely not knowing what's happening next episode, and the overall plot being less important than the characters, here the contest rules are so restrictive that you already know what's happening with very little deviation.

It has really good episodes, and I swear those episodes outside the main plot were the best and I wish we could've seen more of the cast.

In any case, it's not my favorite, and despite all the flaws it's still a worthwhile watch. A weak pretty series season is still way more enjoyable than the average anime in my opinion.