You've mentioned playing SRW a number of times. Are you perhaps playing an english patch of them or are you just toughing it through the japanese? (Or even more bizarre; DO YOU ACTUALLY KNOW JAPANESE????A?SF?S?F) If there is any english patch, any chance you could throw a link my way?
SRW is actually not that hard at all to figure out! But, yes, the best way to start out is with an English patch. I know SRW 3 (SNES), SRW Alpha Gaiden (PS1), and SRW J (GBA) all have full English patches. SRW R has a very rudimentary English patch, that just translates menus.
Alpha Gaiden: http://theisozone.com/downloads/playstation/psx-isos/super-robot-wars–alpha-gaiden-english-patched/
3: http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=srw3
J: http://www.epforums.org/showthread.php?52823-GBA-Super-Robot-Taisen-J-(with-English-Patch)*
R: http://www.pocketheaven.com/ph/jdb/jdb.php?page=game_info&code=aj9j
I’d recommend J or R to start out with. Alpha Gaiden is my favorite, but it gets REALLY hard. I hear J is recommended by many, though it lacks Getter Robo and was the first game to use Gundam SEED instead of UC Gundam, and is also the reason people weren’t fond of SEED in SRW (from what I hear, the game becomes “Gundam SEED featuring other guys” at times).
Sooo yeah. Enjoy. :D