diff --git a/src/comp/front/lexer.rs b/src/comp/front/lexer.rs
index 9c05b5706c2..791276a77ef 100644
--- a/src/comp/front/lexer.rs
+++ b/src/comp/front/lexer.rs
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ impure fn new_reader(io.reader rdr, str filename) -> reader
                     col += 1u;
                 }
 
-                n = rdr.read_byte() as char;
+                n = rdr.read_char();
             }
 
             fn mark() {
@@ -204,8 +204,8 @@ impure fn new_reader(io.reader rdr, str filename) -> reader
     reserved.insert("m128", ()); // IEEE 754-2008 'decimal128'
     reserved.insert("dec", ());  // One of m32, m64, m128
 
-    ret reader(rdr, filename, rdr.read_byte() as char,
-               rdr.read_byte() as char, 1u, 0u, 1u, 0u, keywords, reserved);
+    ret reader(rdr, filename, rdr.read_char(),
+               rdr.read_char(), 1u, 0u, 1u, 0u, keywords, reserved);
 }
 
 
@@ -505,7 +505,7 @@ impure fn next_token(reader rdr) -> token.token {
 
     if (is_alpha(c) || c == '_') {
         while (is_alnum(c) || c == '_') {
-            _str.push_byte(accum_str, (c as u8));
+            _str.push_char(accum_str, c);
             rdr.bump();
             c = rdr.curr();
         }
@@ -692,7 +692,7 @@ impure fn next_token(reader rdr) -> token.token {
                         }
                     }
                     case (_) {
-                        _str.push_byte(accum_str, rdr.curr() as u8);
+                        _str.push_char(accum_str, rdr.curr());
                     }
                 }
                 rdr.bump();
diff --git a/src/comp/front/token.rs b/src/comp/front/token.rs
index 46fd0735641..72d82010ed7 100644
--- a/src/comp/front/token.rs
+++ b/src/comp/front/token.rs
@@ -303,9 +303,9 @@ fn to_str(token t) -> str {
             ret "\"" + s + "\"";
         }
         case (LIT_CHAR(?c)) {
-            // FIXME: escape and encode.
+            // FIXME: escape.
             auto tmp = "'";
-            _str.push_byte(tmp, c as u8);
+            _str.push_char(tmp, c);
             _str.push_byte(tmp, '\'' as u8);
             ret tmp;
         }
diff --git a/src/comp/pretty/pprust.rs b/src/comp/pretty/pprust.rs
index 0e30ced131d..25eb60edd36 100644
--- a/src/comp/pretty/pprust.rs
+++ b/src/comp/pretty/pprust.rs
@@ -718,7 +718,6 @@ impure fn print_maybe_parens(ps s, @ast.expr expr, int outer_prec) {
   if (add_them) {pclose(s);}
 }
 
-// TODO non-ascii
 fn escape_str(str st, char to_escape) -> str {
   let str out = "";
   auto len = _str.byte_len(st);