>>7
Assimil, its a European company, and Euros know their shit about languages. Most of the courses are on torrent, audio and pdf, but some aren't. Also, the selection is kind of limited for English speakers, but learn French or German, most of their stuff is in French because they are a French company.
I like to buy a hard copy of the book too.
Also, google FSI. Download Pimsleur and Michel Thomas from torrents
>>8
I actually started with assimil, I learned a few words / sentences and kanjis using it. I already knew the kanas and a few words. It's a good start but you're not going to go too far with it, it's definitely something to recommend though, to get a feel of the language.