I think what really puts IWATEX from other "utopian" media, is the way it approaches social norms.
Like yes, no one cares about your gender (allegedly), sexuality, or race (or do they?). But at the same time, you still have to work your ass off as a child, still can get forcefully restrained in psych and even get surgeries performed on you, and everyone will still shit on you for being socially non-conforming. Plus, funny how the creche is operated only by a woman, who constantly pushes her only daughter to be like her.
And yet, at the same time, no one cares about Anemone and Vace having 4 years age gap and them dating as a teenager and a grown ass man. In fact, no one seems to mind age gaps in general. No one mentions Anemone's and Vace's age gap, and characters seem to be more concerned about Sym being an alien that being decades older than Dys. It really puts you in a question, what is the adults approach about in colony. No one cares about putting kids to full work, having child soldiers, or having a kid work as a bartender. Its almost as if colony doesn't care about social norms, as much as it cares about usefulness. ALL of Strato kids have enchantments (and isn't it funny how parents can put whatever they want in their kids, without consent? Surely, authoritative figures that have full control over another human, is a concept that stayed on earth. Especially considering most of them are physical, like giving your child big dick, or dangerous, like reducing your child's lifespan just to make him cute), that help them to work. Enhanced hearing, temperature, scaled skin, lack of fear and sleep. All of them are perfect workers, perfect force.
Marz does not feel shame. How can it be useful, work-wise? No how, honestly. But it's useful socially. Outside of Sol (whose mother is also Black) and Nougat (who I need to get more research on), Marz is the only explicitly Child Of Color Strato (until Rex comes, years later. Looking at it now, fun how even the game itself seems to insist on how they fit each other and immediately have a crush) You might say that all of the characters can be seen as POC, and I'd agree. But only a few of them are explicitly stated to be ones by developers. And that is Marz. She's a Black girl with gay fathers who were from Earth. Of course, they chose a lack of shame, so their daughter would never feel like they did. Interestingly, Marz is also them most pampered one by her parents in cast, seemingly immediately knowing they'll protect her and giving her allowance. As if they truly do want to give her "normal" childhood experience.
On the note of ethnicity, Strato canonically speaks Esperanto. And yet, their names are English words.
Ultimately, yes, IWATEX society only defies inconvenient social norms, while not truly abandoning it. Colony is capitalism oriented (as everyone in fandom already pointed out, i think). And it really shows that it was rich elite and some teens, who made Strato a thing.
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