the writing leaves mountains and mountains to be desired... even after watching both seasons, we don't really know anything about the villains or the plot in general. The animation is also of poor quality, with near constant small errors such as characters clipping through clothing or scenery. The episode length of Season 1 is very short (varies a lot and average at like 5 minutes), but Season 2 upped it to around 12 minutes. Hopefully the show can keep improving like that.

RWBY was born from intense fight scenes, which makes it odd how the writing almost avoids those entirely. The few times a fight breaks out, the characters are knocked around without so much as a scratch and either easily defeat or easily outlast their opponents.

Roosterteeth have described the show as a "kid's show, technically" which is jarring and holds it back. Characters never receive injuries of any kind, but then it will suddenly change its mind and show a beast being beheaded. This indecisiveness is ultimately pointless, Rooster Teeth should be appealing to their established fanbase, not small children.

The show's slow pace is highlighted when you consider how few things ever get introduced or explored. I remember Isabelle being hyped up a bit in a developer vlog I watched near the very beginning of Season 2. She has one small appearance in this season and I don't think she even speaks. As previously stated, the villain's plan is a mystery, in a bad way. We don't even have a clue what any of the teachers' motivations or intentions are.

Oh my dear Pyrrha, you will be missed. Not sure when I decided when you were my fave, but both you and Yang Xiao Long found your way there. Also on a side note I actually found Yang losing her arm more devastating than Pyrrha's death because we saw this young, hopeful, energetic young woman become this depressed, apathetic person in only a week or so. 
On Ruby's supposed Deus Ex Machina... I don't think it was a Deus Ex Machina. The silver eyes thing was foreshadowed at the beginning, and while I think it could have been set up maybe a littttleee bit better, making a bigger deal out of it would be too obvious. Ozpin's comment in the first episode and making Ruby the only silver eyed character (besides her mom, Summer Rose, I think, not sure on that) worked fine. 
The Fall Maidens story is interesting, and really makes you wonder: Is Dust really "magic"? Or is it something else? Because from the way it was told and presented it seems like magic, Dust, and Aura are distinctly different supernatural power sources in the world of Remnant. Maybe Aura's magic? Who knows.
I also link the theory that Ozpin's the wizard in the Four Maidens story. Makes sense, since he was specifically stated by Monty at one point to not fit the color theme rule for a reason, and being the Wizard would mean he'd've been around centuries, at least, before that war. It also explains his comment about the mistakes he's made and Glynda saying he had more experience than the rest of them. 
Finally, let's talk about the villains. Well, Roman Torchwick certainly went out in a anticlimactic yet hilarious way. Cinder's probably not dead, she's probably off mustering Emerald, Mercury, and Neo from wherever they're hiding. And how bout this Salem chick? She's gonna be... Different, for sure.

During my recent re-watch, I noticed that it was required/talked about, that the 4 Maidens would come each year to visit the Wizard who gave them the powers.... I'm curious about the hate from Salem. I am wondering about his power, how strong he is, and what his role is. I am starting to suspect he may BE the Wizard, either re-incarnated or something along those lines.

The animation is definitely different from past seasons--I haven't really developed a clear opinion about it yet since I haven't seen that much of it, but I think it has the potential to be really cool. I really liked the shot of Weiss especially and I thought Ruby looked good overall. I would have liked to see more shots of Weiss, Blake, and Yang to get a better feel for the new style, but I understand why RT didn't do that since it would probably have given too much away (since their storylines are really at a pivotal point right now). Overall, I think the new animation has room for improvement, as always, but I think it has potential.

The only thing that bugged me was the Ruby's fighting style seemed a little...off. She didn't seem to be as smooth and balanced using Crescent Rose as she usually is, so her attacks seemed kind of choppy. Also, it seemed a little too easy for her to defeat that massive monster all by herself. Did anyone else notice this? Maybe I'm being too picky.

 
I actually thing the animation is much improved from what I've seen of it. It seems smoother movement wise while still true to the series look.

And I didn't really thing that it was odd, If you look a the changes in styles and in the actual growth of the characters, like hair length, style, etc, I think it's meant to convey how much they've grown and gotten better the time lapse. She's still Ruby so it wasn't straight OP but I think it is realistic for her to be fighting on that level alone given the situation. 

I actually really loved it. Ruby's semblance is her speed, so the improvement makes sense to me. She seems a lot more confident and sure of herself and her abilities.