Netflix makes major changes to Julia’s ending in their live action adaption of Cowboy Bebop that ultimately prove to be for the better. In both shows, she is shown being caught in the middle of a love triangle between her, Spike, and Vicious. Due to her expanded role in the Netflix series, she is given an ending that works better for the character because it takes her on a different path away from all of that.
In the anime, not much is known about Julia. She is seen only through flashbacks for most of the series, and only makes a full appearance in the finale, “The Real Folk Blues,” where she ultimately is killed before Spike’s final battle with Vicious. In the Netflix series, Julia is given more screentime as she deals with Vicous’ coup against the Red Dragon Syndicate while also discovering that Spike is alive. It is towards the end of the season that the most distinct changes to the Cowboy Bebop anime are made to the character, however.
While the Julia twist in Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop is a major deviation from the anime, it is the best direction for the character to go. Despite her significance in the anime, there isn’t much more to her aside from being Spike’s love interest. The Netflix series seems to acknowledge this too by changing the meaning of her final comments in the anime.
In “The Real Folk Blues,” Spike and Julia get into a shootout with Vicious’ men at Annie’s store. While trying to escape, Julia is fatally shot, and as she lays dying in Spike’s arms, she tells him that, “It’s all just a dream.” While the line serves as a poignant capper to Spike’s Cowboy Bebop anime ending, there’s not much significance on Julia’s end because viewers have learned almost nothing about her character past her relationships with Spike and Vicious. The Netflix series flips this by having Julia turn on Spike when he refuses to join her in taking over the Red Dragon Syndicate.
In this context, “It’s all just a dream” is her declaration that nothing is going to hold her back from achieving her goals. And if her relationship with Spike has to be sacrificed as well, then so be it. While this twist is undeniably tragic, it also allows Julia to come into her own and set a path for her own success away from Spike and Vicious’ feud.
Ultimately, how well the Julia twist holds up depends on what the showrunners do with her character if Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop is picked up for a second season. For now, though, it sets up an arc that will likely see her get just as much screentime and development as the Bebop crew, which is a good thing. Fortunately, the appearance of Ed gives viewers hope that Cowboy Bebop season 2 is definitely in the works.
