I think learning in a classroom experience was fantastic, but since you can't do that, see if you can download Japanese beginners lesson plans and drills aimed for classrooms. I learned hiragana in a month after just doing a ton of exercises and drills. I really enjoyed learning in that way.

I wouldn't say anime and television should be the only way to learn, but it definitely expands vocabulary when combined with a proper way of learning. The best thing Japanese television helps with is pronunciation. I was told I had the best pronunciation of the class when I took Japanese in college. That's probably because I was always watching Hard Gay.