That art's so GORGEOUS. It's so crisp and clean, really polished. Aaah~! I was there was more of this artist's work scanlated.
I actually listened to the drama cd first (it was based on a novel), so I was pleasantly surprised to find out there was a manga! The plot's pretty good. The race relations/conflict can be over the top at times, even for prison (but hey, what do I know about being in prison?).
I also like that Yuuto felt American (mostly). I get annoyed when I read stories set in America, with American characters that act pretty much like Japanese people. That's not to say there aren't cliches and stereotypes in this.
I would rate the story as slightly above average. There are some scenes that had my eyes rolling due to how cliched it was, but for the most part, it's really good. The romance in this felt like a slow burn that kept getting more and more intense.
I've tried reading Under Grand Hotel, and I honestly don't think there are that many similarities besides the setting and initial conflicts. (To be fair, I didn't like UGH too much.) Deadlock's much more serious than UGH and slightly more believable. There's an overall plot that goes beyond the prison setting. Deadlock is NOT about Yuuto looking for protection by using sex (he never does this!). It's about the hunt for Corvus.