This manhwa feels like the kortrash degeneration of the classic yanki delinquent trope. Where legendary mangas like Crows, Worst, Good-for-Nothing Blues, and even Young GTO (which this manhwa pays homage to!) became icons of '80s-style delinquents, full of wild fights, ride-or-die friendships, and turf wars, To Not Die tries to walk that same path, but ends up jerking itself off into an over-the-top, bland, and painfully generic Korean shounen. Up until the end of the first season, things were actually holding together pretty well. The main character starts off as a loser who’s lost everything, but slowly claws his way back. Training, making friends, protecting thosehe cares about, and earning his keep. He really had an underdog charm.

Unlike most Japanese delinquent manga, this one focused more on youth gangs rather than school life, something more like Tong/Blood Rain or Bakuon Rettou than Rokudenashi Blues. And while Tong (also Korean) managed to shift into more serious gang stuff without losing its identity, To Not Die completely fumbles it in the second season.

Instead of building up the gang as a real presence, it just becomes a bland backdrop for the main character and his “hero squad.” Their gang, which is more like a band of misfit kids than anything mafia-related, somehow ends up as the shining beacon of good, always standing up for their neighborhood and protecting the innocent from cartoonishly evil villains. And these villains really want you to know they’re evil, as they love to kidnap old ladies, run brothels, sell drugs, and act sadistic for no reason.

Then the MC, once a relatable underdog, suddenly turns into a jacked-up, calculating machine, like he got infected by every overpowered protagonist from Korean cultivation or cheat-code manhwa. The fights get boring, the villains are one-sided, the friendships feel forced, and the whole setting loses it's edge.

So yeah, I really don’t like this manhwa, especially as someone who genuinely loves the delinquent genre. To Not Die started off strong, which just makes the falloff even more disappointing. And it’s not that Koreans can’t do delinquent stories, Dokgo, Tong, Blood Rain are some of my all-time favorites, and Bal Jak is a classic, but this one? This ain’t it.