The season was definitely too short! I was surprised because originally they had announced that the point where the second season would end was going to be the manga chapter "Ruler of The Walls" but looking at the pacing of the anime it would look like they could easily make another 12-20 episode season before they reach that point!

However, one of the biggest positives was, like you mentioned, the vastly improved quality of the animation and some new pieces of music for the soundtrack, which made some moments truly unforgettable (like the reveal of the warrior's identity and Mikasa's "Thank you" scene). Seriously, at some points I was just feeling chills all over and getting teary eyed, they did a great job animating the story and giving it a good pace.