Regarding the dictionary app: I prefer the app Nihongo on iOS. Looking up words works similar to Jisho, but the UI is less buggy. The app also includes audio recordings from native speakers for many words, instead of relying entirely on text-to-speech.

https://apps.apple.com/de/app/nihongo-japanese-dictionary/id881697245?l=en-GB

Anime for teenagers and adults generally uses more complex language. At least in my experience, this makes it very hard to get started. Kids shows, on the other hand, often use very simple forms, which makes it easier to get a grip on things. I try to see them as exercises, so I can get to the better shows that I want to be watching. Hopefully, someone else can prove me wrong. I, too, could use some recommendations that are not just kids’ anime.

Do you have an example of a book that makes problems? I can try it on my e-book readers

I’ve been learning for the past two years. The first year on my own, and then I took two courses at university. I found that learning on my own seems to be way more effective than the classes at university. I mainly focus on speaking and understanding the language, so I try to watch Japanese TV (recently I dropped the English subtitles), listen to simple podcasts, and watch videos on YouTube. I don’t want to completely neglect reading and writing, so I’m also learning kanji using Heisig’s method. Though it will probably take me until mid-next year to work through that book.