I second the lactose-free milk rec, if it's lactose intolerance. You can get it in whole, part-skim, and skim, (er, whole, reduced-fat, and fat-free, that is) and it works just like regular milk in recipes. The milk itself is slightly sweeter than regular, because the lactose has basically been pre-digested - broken down into glucose and galactose - but if you're not drinking it straight, you really shouldn't be able to tell.

Lactose-free pumpkin pie recipe: make the recipe on the back of the can of pumpkin, using whole lactose-free milk instead of the condensed/evaporated/whatever milk, and increase the eggs by 1. Cook as normal. :D

Re: manga. Give up now and order the rest of Fruits Basket. Also: Qwan! Read Qwan! It is my mission in life to convert as many people as I can to the quirky glory that is Qwan!