The TV Asahi drama special "Stranger" (Sun., 9 p.m.) is based loosely on "The Poe Family," the award-winning 1970s girl's comic by Moto Hagio, which is about vampires.

"Stranger" takes the form of a modern-day serial-killer mystery. Two murders are discovered simultaneously in Tokyo. Both victims were strangled to death, but police find small punctures on the neck. Detective Saiki (Seito Hagiwara) obviously believes that the murders were done by the same person and expects the killer to strike again.

Meanwhile, a man named Misugi (Shingo Katori) arrives in the capital by midnight bus with a large suitcase and a mysterious companion named Maria (Ayami Nakajo). They visit Maeshima, the proprietor of a secondhand bookshop, who warns Misugi that he must be careful, because his form does not produce a reflection in mirrors.