RANT: THERE, I’VE SAID IT: WHY JULIA DOESN’T WORK

Julia plays a big part in “Cowboy Bebop”, though she has little screen time. She is the love of Spike’s life. But why should I accept that? It would have been much nicer if he had a slowly developing romance with Faye, one we could see grow from its start as two people in conflict who gradually came to love each other. With Julia, were just told (mostly from sketchy flashback) that she’s Spike’s love, and to just accept it. But I have a hard time doing so. I usually have to see a romance start to like it. We aren’t told enough about Julia. I was shown enough to make me want to care, but all the time I had the opposing feeling of, “Why the hell should I care?”

When I was a kid, I resented going over someone else’s house to play only to have her friends, who were strangers to me, show up and want in on the action, too. I thought it was just going to be me and her! Julia is like that—intruding on the coziness of the main cast. True, the crew isn’t all that tight, but we want them to be. I don’t want to be told, “Oh, Spike does care for someone—but it’s not one of the Bebop crew. It’s this outsider you know nothing about.”

“Cowboy Bebop” is one of the most intense, intriguing, captivating, and high-quality shows I’ve ever seen, so perhaps the Julia issue is a small price to pay for such a great TV series. And I will say at least being true to Julia kept Spike from having a girl in every spaceport (an annoying character trait in many other shows I watch). Yet, the whole Julia romance thing bugs me from time to time. I tried writing a fanfic from her point of view, to make me like her and understand her and Spike’s romance better. But I shouldn't have had to—the show itself should have made me care on its own.

Don't forget to see my pick on whether Julia works for you or not, and vote.