Started watching Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit.

Set during an AU feudal Japan (and if we ever tire of AU feudal Japan, you'll know that the upload you have of paper machine is not genuine), Moribito tells the story of the epic-level bodyguard Balsa and her quest to save the life of the Emperor's second son, Chagum, who has been possessed by the egg of a water spirit.

So far, Balsa is an exceptional strategist with a wide utilitarian streak. She's slightly reminiscent of Mokoto Kusanagi (and is animated by Production I.G). Chagum is slightly whiny but is growing on me. We often moan about the lack of strong female leads in anime, but hopefully Moribito continues to break the mould.

There's also some underlying Mononoke-esque humans vs. nature going on, so if you like that, you'll probably like this too.