>>13
I think you're expecting too much from a book entitled Remembering the Kanji: A complete course on how not to forget the MEANING and WRITING of Japanese Characters. The whole point of learning via Heisig is to give you the same advantage that the Chinese and Korean have that are learning Japanese. Chinese and Korean both have the Hanzi and Hanzul which are exact carbon copies of the Kanji, however they can't use that to read Japanese. A familiarization and meaning to these arbitrary shapes gave them the edge over Westerners that were trying to learn Japanese and quickly sped up their progress.
I understand you will not read Japanese with Heisig (In fact he explicitly mentions this in the introduction, in case you couldn't parse the title), but I also know that I memorized the stroke order and English meaning to over 2000 kanji. I can now use that knowledge I already have to attach as many readings and meanings to it like I do with English, easily. Add a method to internalize any more I come across with and Heisig comes out on top for me. Divide and conquer.
There are many ways to do something, some smarter and more efficient than others. These methods aren't new and revolutionary. It simply simulates the same environment that a foreigner stuck in a country has, if you are serious enough to learn (Referring to my 5 or so steps). If your brain can still learn via rote, more power to you, but I can't anymore. I've grown up and these cells need more stimulation if I want to keep something up there.
Languages are always evolving. How did you learn that "lol wut"? It's obviously incorrect English but feels right. However you are smart enough, I think, to know only to use it in a casual setting and how to use it. This is true fluency. How much effort did it take you to internalize it? Learning a language is only becoming an actor. You copied that statement from multiple sources, not needing a grammar rule that some bored English professor cooked up. Internalizing never stops, thats why slang becomes slang and new words and catch phrases are made up and become common every day.
Grammar is a good "why", but a shitty "how". If natives make mistakes in their own language (I know I does), why the hell can't you? As an adult I have more control over the input I'll receive than a child. A kid can only rely on others to speak properly because you don't know any better.
And lastly, Pimsleur is free via internet lulz. But still rather shitty to learn a language.