I'm extremely satisfied with Rocket, I have been studying Japanese for about a month and already know more than 100 words and have gotten some clue about the grammar. I mostly know 'survival phrases' at this point but could probably get by in a simple Japanese conversation. It has really been the fastest progress I've ever made with learning a language.
It is good at making you learn through repetition, by reading, writing, and listening, but not nearly as agonizingly repetitive as something like Duolingo.
It is good at encouraging you to keep going by showing your streak and having reminders that tenacity is key and you're making good progress.
I think the fact that it is a one-time payment rather than a subscription makes it worth it.
I appreciate how in-depth the lessons are and how they walk you through each and every word and their nuance. I also appreciate the culture lessons.
One complaint I have is that the vocabulary lists in audio lessons are often incomplete, or only include a word within a sentence and don't provide a definition for the word itself.
Also, words and phrases from previous lessons are often brought up again in later lessons very rarely.
Response from Rocket Languages
Hi Jesse, I wanted to thank you for your detailed review. It's wonderful to hear that you are making such rapid progress in learning the Japanese language. We greatly value your feedback on how we can improve Rocket Japanese. Rest assured, your comments have been shared with the Product Development team, who will take them into consideration as they work towards improving the course. Regarding your experience with the mobile app, it seems like you may have encountered a technical issue. Our Customer Support team has reached out to you to assist with resolving the problem and ensuring that you have the best possible experience with the "Hear it! Say it!" activity. Thank you again for your review, and we wish you all the best with your Japanese language learning!