>>52909420Shudo was probably a tad extreme yeah, but he was correct in where he wanted to point at in regards to actual world building implications.
But that feels more related to focus, and having a somewhat sad tone can work.
You can easily have the gym leader and overall "age of adulthood" stuff actually factor in, though i feel like shit like teen pregnancy probably shouldn't be factored in but Shudo is a tad bit of a madman.
A realistic setting can still come off as a nice place if you don't focus on the downsides; of course those were the main things Shudo wanted to play around with. While they can't be fully ignored, you can still have a fun adventure alongside some issues.
I think you can pull it off while not completely derailing.