After I found it at the local library, I looked up
"Last Exile" on IMDb and there was a rave review for it.

Not much was mentioned about the Steampunk style of the
series (it's a Japanese tv series on dvd) though.

Steampunk is a subgenere of Cyberpunk science fiction.

Steampunk uses the steam technology of the 19th
Century to create it's alternate histories.

What if atomic power was never discovered-- or buried?
Where would culture be today? Steampunk asks these
questions.

In Last Exile there are flying ships based on some sort
of resonant magnetism and 'inertia'. What is extraordinary
is the sheer flights of fancy that an alternate technology
can create.

If you saw the flying aircraft carrier in Sky Captain and the
World of Tomorrow, you'll get the idea of what is going on here.

So it's more than a cartoon. More and the same at the same time.
The central characters are definately in the Japanese style of
anime human rendering. But the scenic effects and machines are
worth the 'suspension of disbelief." The Japanese have the only modern and unique artform that is anime. Unique in my experience anyway.

One of the finest films ever made is called "Grave Of The Fireflies." Perhaps a library collection near you has that title.