Misuteri to Iu Nakare

Totonou Kumo (Masako Suda) is a very observant college student, so when Shioji Kariatsumari (Nanoka Hara) has a big problem in her family, she recruits his help. It seems that her grandfather has died, leaving his estate to only one heir, who will be the one of his four grandchildren who can solve a riddle in the warehouses he has assigned to them (his own children are all dead, and their spouses are not eligible to inherit). More, there is a long history of family members killing one another in their fights over succession. All is to be overseen by the family retainers, the Kurumazaka family of accountants and the Rumazaka family of lawyers; the heads of those families will determine who the winner will be. If, that is, any one of them manages to stay alive....

This is the film version of a popular manga and then television series in Japan, and it's easy to see why - Totonou is an absolutely delightful character! He is indeed always observing, but sometimes he cannot stop himself from telling everyone about everything he has observed, which he recognizes as a flaw in his character. But he also has a lot of wise words to say, and his powers of observation are such that he is able to solve mysteries that nobody else can fathom. There is a whole lot to love in this film, and I will definitely seek out the TV series too if I can find it here in Canada. Highly recommended!