I absolutely love this book! I remember when I started to borrow it from the library. It didn't come with the cassetes, but pronunciation was not difficult. I have also always watched Japanese anime, so I was used to everything. I understand that some people are annoyed that the book does not teach you how to write Japanese characters. However, there are two pages of Hiragana and Katakana in the back. Also, this book can only teach you so much, so I wouldn't be complaining. If you want to learn to write, watch Youtube videos, but it isn't that hard to teach yourself. This book, along with my Japanese friends, has helped me to learn Japanese, and gave me a good insight into the rich culture of Japan. After three years, I am a fluent speaker of the language, and this book helped me to get on the right steps.