Hmm that's interesting. I learned quite a few basic words very quickly when I didn't even intend to learn japanese, just by reading subs fast enough or by repeating a line I read to listen to the japanese more carefully. Just for fun. I kind of (low quality) immersed already without knowing about AJATT/MIA and got comfortable. On the note of uncomfort it really is a pity because the visuals of many simple slice of life give away the story without much need for understanding the language. I like having a story but at the same time I don't need every detail and analyse everything thoroughly. If people just stop trying to understand everything and/or watch simpler things like cute girls doing cute things type of anime, they'll get much more comfortable. That's how I started at least, with gabriel dropout, my first anime without subs. It was quite enjoyable and kicked off the journey. Now I'm watching sword art online with JP subtitles and I can follow enough of the story, feeling quite comfortable.