What happens when a job becomes the romance you’re not supposed to get involved in?

That’s the question sitting at the center of Thai BL The Crow Club, an eccentric ensemble romance that takes four very different men, gives each of them an unusual job, and then warns them about the one thing they’re absolutely not supposed to do while completing it: fall in love.

At the center of it all is The Crow Club, a secret bar run by the wildly unconventional Linda (Cris Horwang), where a group of lovable misfits known as “The Crows” have turned their unique talents into a business by accepting strange jobs for clients willing to pay the price. Those jobs are where the romance begins.

So, let’s take a moment and meet the Crows and their potential partners:

Sailub Hemmawich Kwanamphaiphan stars as Talay, the club’s assistant manager and a painter who has closed himself off emotionally, while Pon Thanapon Aiemkumchai plays Sun, a struggling romance novelist who wants to hire Talay as inspiration for his male lead.

Milk Natchanon Supravorawong plays Van, a young engineer firmly rooted in science who is hired by architect Rakkhun (Newyear Nawaphat Thannamongkhonsawat) to pretend to be his boyfriend for a much less scientific reason: Rakkhun believes a vengeful ghost has been sabotaging his love life.

Then there’s introverted singer Phathee (Pop Pataraphol Wanlopsiri), who is hired by trainee Ran (Title Tanatorn Saenangkanikorn) to help save his struggling T-pop group and finally give them a chance to debut.

And rounding everything out are hot-headed Taengmo (Otto Phachara Thanakulwuttiporn) and his troublesome ex, Yoyeh (BJ Nattanon Wanichakul).

Four jobs. Four potential romances. And one very important rule. Don’t fall in love.

Naturally, that’s probably not going to go very well.

The Crow Club starts off every bit as dramatically as I expected it to, with the first episode ending as each member of the club is offered a job they’re hesitant to accept while Linda delivers her warning about falling in love. It’s the perfect setup for chaos and forbidden romance amidst a list of romantic tropes each couple looks ready to tackle, from rivals-to-lovers and first love to fake relationships and second-chance romance.

All in the same drama.

Which also happens to be my only apprehension about the series. There are a lot of stories to tell and sixteen episodes to tell them in. Initially, I wasn’t quite sure how they planned to tackle all of that without spreading each relationship too thin. But after the second episode, it seems they’ve decided to focus primarily on one story at a time, beginning with the youngest Crow, Van, as he accepts a ghost-hunting job from the incredibly unlucky-in-love Rakkhun.

I’m assuming this means each couple will receive roughly four episodes at the center of the story, while subtle pieces of the other relationships continue developing and evolving around them.

And I’m not mad at that.

Honestly, I love the whole vibe of The Crow Club. It’s quirky, unique, a little dark, but also somehow warm. The club where everything begins might be the perfect place to host a Halloween party, but it also feels oddly like home. And the members themselves already feel like their own strange little family.

The hardest person to read is Linda, the club’s owner and leader. I like her, and I’m hoping she turns out to be the kind of character who guides the Crows rather than someone who ultimately holds them back. Even as she warns them that falling in love means their time at The Crow Club is over, there’s something about that rule that makes me wonder if leaving is actually the point.

Maybe The Crow Club is simply a place people find when they need somewhere to belong before they’re ready to move forward. If that’s the case, there’s also something interesting about the possibility of new members eventually finding their way there after these four leave, allowing the club to become the constant while its Crows come and go.

And honestly, I don’t hate the idea of a series like this returning with multiple casts and entirely new stories.

For now, though, Van and Rakkhun are leading the pack, and the first-love vibes mixed with the turmoil of a supernatural haunting are surprisingly fun to watch. I like that the youngest Crow is getting his story first, even though I suspect part of the reason he can jump straight into the fray is because he seems to carry less emotional baggage than some of the others. There’s an openness to him that makes it easier to accept the ridiculousness of the job and run headfirst into it without thinking too much about the consequences. Although sending the science-minded engineer after a ghost is already a pretty entertaining choice. Either way, I’m completely here for all four stories.

The Crow Club has given itself a lot to accomplish, but if its unusual structure can give each relationship enough room to breathe while keeping this quirky little found family connected, it could turn into something really fun.

For a series with an ensemble cast, a wonderfully strange found family, and several romantic adventures waiting to unfold, check out The Crow Club, now streaming on Netflix.

Rating- 4 out of 5