Cruel Story of Youth: Victimhood and Abuse in Adolescence

The protagonists of Cruel Story of Youth, Kiyoshi and Mako, represent a vast population of Japanese youth following the Second World War. This youthful strife was attributed greatly to a newfound generational gap and sense of democracy following the war. The now reckless and confused urban youth was on full display beginning in the 1950s, and the image was not one of composure and conservatism as it was with the previous generation. These kids wear their pain on their sleeves, setting them drastically apart from the generation above them. They see themselves as true victims, even if that is never expressed directly in the movie – though they are victims of a chaotic and transforming society, they inevitably victimize those they are closest to.
The pain felt by Mako and Kiyoshi, among others, is more often than not expressed in abuse and manipulation of each other. However, Oshima makes a clear distinction here between gender roles in this pattern of abuse: not once do we see Mako or Yoko abuse men physically, and their emotional reactions to the men's literal torture, physical and mental, are well within reason. The men are the true victimizers here.

Even in the case of the cash scam against old men, Mako is merely the bait in the scheme, whereas Kyoshi is the one making all the threats and demands. One could also infer that the entire plan was his idea, furthering this usage of women by men. The scheme wouldn't even work if the older businessmen weren't predictably predatory, one of the few aspects that the two generations share.
By far one of the most interesting scenes in this film is the one directly following Mako's forced abortion in which there is a very eerie long take of Kiyoshi eating an apple over Mako's unconscious face.
The lust and passion with which Kiyoshi devours the apple are reminiscent of a passionate kiss, but the contrasted and bare lighting on his face creates a much more sinister atmosphere. This is perhaps because of Kiyoshi's admitted nihilism and acceptance of harm for personal gain. He is and always will be a predator to those he cares about, of whom Mako is certainly one of them. Yes, he does love Mako, but he also needs to be able to use and make money off of her. In order to do so, she cannot be pregnant. Her naive commitment to him is what leads her to go against her desire and abort the child. She submits to this abuse willfully because of the independence she has developed for the young man and other men like him. She needs him both as a source of physical and mental support, and he "shows her he cares" by continuing the cycle of abuse and trapping her within the relationship. By the time Kiyoshi realizes his wrongdoing, it is too late for the two of them, and his decisions inevitably kill them both.