Fire in His Fingertips [Manga Review]

Shaenon K. Garrity August 10, 2020

Fire in His Fingertips: A Flirty Fireman Ravishes Me with His Smoldering Gaze

A Flirty Fireman Ravishes Me with His Smoldering Gaze

This setup will feel familiar to fans of romance novels, and Fire in His Fingertips is very much a manga answer to American-style romance fiction and women’s erotica. Ryo, a career woman with a vaguely defined office job, still hangs out with her childhood friend Souma, who has grown up to be a hot, ripped firefighter. She tries to curb his saucy womanizing and set him up with her friends, to no avail: “You refuse to zip up your pants and settle down!” she complains. Then Souma saves Ryo from a fire at her apartment building, and in no time she’s living next door and he’s inviting himself over for scorching if questionably consensual sex. Neither will admit their feelings for one another, but with Ryo’s new lifestyle of near-constant boning (“I orgasmed so hard I passed out?!”) and getting rescued from fires on a surprisingly frequent basis, who has time for feelings?

Fire in His Fingertips manga cover The frequent and graphic sex scenes may surprise anyone under the misconception that romance novels are primarily about romance. “Flirty” is putting things mildly, as Souma routinely rips off Ryo’s clothes and ravishes her, for page after page, while she almost-but-not-quite protests. The couple’s first encounters are uncomfortably light on consent, so romance readers who are turned off by borderline rapey heroes are advised to get their kicks elsewhere. Before long, Fire in His Fingertips settles into a mix of roughly 80% sex scenes, 10% cute romantic moments, and 10% Souma rescuing Ryo from stuff.

The best thing about this erotic manga is the title, although the eroticism delivers, too. Tanishi draws cute but generic characters, sketched-in backgrounds, but wildly enthusiastic sex scenes. By the end of Volume 1, she’s already struggling to find ways to keep fire-fighting in the mix (how about…Souma visits Ryo’s office for a fire safety demonstration?), so the concept may not have the stamina to sustain a long series. But for now Fire in His Fingertips delivers a moderate amount of flirting and a satisfying level of fire.

Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Story and Art: Kawano Tanishi
Rating: M