GENRE: Compilation
DATES OF PRODUCTION: 1995 – 1999
LENGTH: 137 mins with bonus material

Diversity used to be an unknown term in pornography. When it came to assortment, there was the "straight" and the "gay" groupings, with a little bondage and discipline thrown in for good measure. The rationale behind such selectivity was obvious: white males used to make up the majority of adult consumers, or at least, that was the excuse used. They had their fantasies and anything else was ancillary to the debauchery discussion. Enter video and especially the Internet and suddenly, the market became manic. Makers and distributors learned that for every obtuse fetish, there was a demographic with a full wallet waiting to partake of their particular porn. Today, adult material has been micromanaged down to the style, the circumstance and even the actor or actress involved. Add race, reputation and particular position into the mix and the purieint permutations are endless. The beautiful Asian actress Kobe Tai falls into this new world order of content creation. Starting out with an Americanized moniker - "Blake Young" - she soon dropped the ethnic facade and had her Japanese/Taiwanese heritage embraced. Apparently so popular among the Vivid girls that she requires several compilation titles, we can now add an installment of Vivid's Nasty as I Wanna Be imprint to her resume. Only problem is, after viewing this heavily truncated series of scenes, it is kind of hard to see what all the race uproar is about.

The DVD:
There are four things you need to know about this DVD release from Vivid, constants that occur throughout the title and the scenes offered. First it appears to be a compilation made up of scenes offered on other discs, specifically The Real Kobe Tai and Under Contract: Kobe Tai. This recycling mentality is prominent among Vivid compilations, so if you are interested in adding another DVD to your Kobe collection, you may want to check out the amount of repetition present (indicated by a "*"). Second, the scenes are heavily edited. Now, don't misunderstand; none of the hardcore action is compromised. You will still see lots of money shots, positions and penetration close-ups. But the problem is that the flow of a scene, the carnal action between guy and girl or girl-on-girl is needlessly interrupted by fades and dissolves. One minute Kobe is getting fucked in the ass, the next shot she is mouthing someone's balls. One of the best things about the more professional genre of porn is the sensation and impression that the actors are taking an erotic scene from its opening kiss to its cum shot in a continuous act of physical exploration. While there is movie magic o'plenty in adult material, the thought is usually maintained. All that fading in and out does is highlight the sporadic nature of the corporeal exchanges here and disrupt the "mood", so to speak.

Third, from a performance standpoint, Kobe is really pigeonholed in this set. Every scene is of her in some manner of submissive mode (a couple bordering on non-PC Oriental "ah so" stupidity) handling and hammering a cock the size of a Buick. This is done, of course, to emphasize Kobe's petite figure and Asian allure. But there are times when you fear for her throat and her anus. This tiny woman takes on pieces of man meat that would block up even the most elastic pussy. Obviously, this is part of her appeal. She is known for being an 'all size fits one' honey. But you may find yourself wincing once in a while. Lastly, Kobe is a real XXX scream queen. This woman talks dirty from the moment she's penetrated and shrieks like a banshee when the proper "spots" are sensated. She is extremely vocal and gives off the illusion (or reality, who knows) that she is enjoying the shit out of what is happening to her onscreen. Sometimes she can go over the top and into "enough already" land. By the time she screams "Fuck me" for the fortieth time, you'll begin to wonder what she thinks is really happening to her as a huge cock plunges in and out of her ass like a jackhammer.

Scene Breakdown

After the aggravating advertisement opening that you can't skip (but you can fast forward through for a kind of "exceptionally" bawdy Benny Hill send-up) we get the menu screen and the following scenes:

Scene 1: Kobe Tai, Mark Davis
Scene from: Lotus (1997)*
Directed by Ralph Parfait
20 mins
In a very Chinese Restaurant style Asian "palace" setting, Kobe is slave to Mark's master and it's not long before this honcho gets the head he so eagerly wants. Kobe gives it to him deep and long. Suddenly, he grabs her by her waist, flips her ass up and dives into her muff while she continues the big blow. This standing 69 lasts for a while, complete with rimming and anal fingering. Abruptly, we are taken to a scene of the two kissing in bed. Kobe gets on top for some ride 'em cowgirl grinding. Another quick edit and we are into a rapid fire session of vaginal doggie with Mark pile driving Kobe's round rump. Still another cut and we are into deep penetration with Kobe buried in the bed. Then a little sideways fucking. The non-condomed scene ends with them standing, Kobe still connected to Mark's member. The money shot comes (pardon the pun) out of nowhere and it is dropped directly in the Asian wonder's waiting mouth. Had it not been sloppily edited, this scene from Lotus would have been a winner. But the constant interruptions and meteoric jumps from one position to another undermine the passion. 5/10

Scene 2: Kobe Tai, Vince Voyeur
Scene from: The Show 2 (1996)*
Directed by Paul Thomas
10 mins
Here is another example of a potentially potent scene being undermined by fade-outs. Kobe and Vince get into some intense foreplay, with lots of passionate kissing and fondling. Jump cut and we are into a full-blown bout of box eating, Vince relishing Kobe's nether regions. She returns the favor with a little mouth to cock and balls action. Fade to reverse cowgirl. Thrust, thrust, thrust and then – WHOOSH! – off to anal doggie. Pump, pump, pump and – ZING! – it's male missionary with Kobe additionally taking a small vibrator in her previous prick-filled ass. A few more strokes and Vince unloads between Kobe's legs, missing most of her body. This is probably the most all over the map of the scenes. It's like a greatest hits highlight reel, not a real scene. Hot but horribly paced. 4/10

Scene 3: Kobe Tai, Bobby Vitale
Scene from: The Awakening (1999)*
Directed by Paul Thomas
2 mins
OK, this scene in only two minutes long. Yet look at all the hardcore ground we cover in this 120 seconds of outdoor fornication. There is doggie, reverse cowgirl, sideways scissors in both the vagina and the ass, a session of mutual masturbation and a fistful of cum (in Bobby's own mitt). No chance for anything to really register. No chance to enjoy the butt banging or the very vocal pussy rubbing. This is just a wham bam thank you sham of a scene. What happens here looks fairly erotic, but you wouldn't know that from the rapid fire fading from position to position. 3/10

Scene 4: Kobe Tai, Micky G
Scene from: The Zone (1997)*
Directed by Paul Thomas
8 mins
Thankfully, this is the first decent scene of the collection. Mickey is more mature than Kobe and the age dynamic adds something special to the sequence. He begins by sucking on her clit and tonguing her cunt with fervor, adding some digital stimulation in both orifices. Kobe then takes his cock in her mouth for an obsessive cycle of oral gratification. Once hard, Mickey slips it in for some kitchen tabletop long stroking. The scene then ends with a long bout of anal antics that commences with Mickey again fingering Kobe, rimming her and then stuffing her full of dick. Kobe is VERY vocal here, screaming with enough strength to vibrate the set walls. The Mickster gets in some deep dumper penetration and then uncorks all over Kobe's sweaty chest. Since there are less edits here and a focus on the bountiful butt sex, the erotic action between the couple is mostly preserved. 6/10

Scene 5: Kobe Tai, Mark Davis
Scene from: The Lie (1996)*
Directed by Ralph Parfait
12 mins
Another multi-position edit fest. We start with Kobe polishing Mark's knob with her tongue. She really enjoys stroking his rod and sucking his balls. Before we can get into the head we are into some vaginal fingering and pussy eating. But don't get too wrapped up in that because it's off to straight intercourse boulevard. After they fuck regular they fuck doggie and then after they add some deep penetration, it's on to ass city. Kobe gets another rectum full of penis and she takes it with some apparent trouble. Eventually Mark shoots his load all over Kobe's face and mouth. She immediately goes into a passionate oral workout before we fade to black. Such sloppy continuity makes the action between the actors seem that much more forced. No matter how much Kobe screams, this is just not that arousing. 4/10

Scene 6: Kobe Tai, Steven St. Croix, Bobby Vitale
Scene from: Stardust 4 (1995)*
Directed by Michael Zen
12 mins
Lifted from the popular porn soap opera, this scene has Kobe being grilled by a hick accented St. Croix (which is classic in and of itself). Kobe starts the oral and Steve soon reciprocates. He places the petit pet on the desk and begins to fuck the wasabi out of her. Soon, Bobby Vitale strolls in (complete with his own Deliverance drawl) and before he can excuse himself, Kobe's on his jock. So it's a BJ for Bob and some snatch for St. Croix. They soon switch sides and now Bobby's got the butt for a little anal doggie while Stephen has his sword tongue serviced. Mr. Vitale is done first and squirts all over Kobe's ass. Stephen is soon to follow and he flows out and onto her stomach. This is a good scene with many interesting shots and some extreme close-ups. While the dissolve demon is in full force, we don't feel like we've missed very much here. 6/10

Scene 7: Kobe Tai, Bobby Vitale
Scene from: Haunted (1999)*
Directed by Tommy Ganz
11 mins
It's Vitale again and this time, Kobe and he go through the laundry list of lewd acts as we cut away to a different position every few minutes. First they kiss. Then Bobby eats Kobe out. He adds a little toe sucking and foot-licking to spice up the scene. Soon it's time for a long rim job repast. Quick cut and we are into a standard dick and ball suck from Kobe. She climbs on top and rides his cock for a while. He flips her over and pile drives deep inside. Switching from vagina to anus, Vitale again forced his whole hog into the tiny Ms. Tai. Then a weird thing happens. Kobe has Vitale's dick back into her mouth, and it looks like the previous head sequence. Are we supposed to assume some manner of temporal displacement? Or is this a cheap editing way to give us a little ass to mouth momentum? Either way, the scene ends with Vitale getting jerked off. This is one of Kobe's most vocal performances and she is really trying to sell the sex. It does have its moments, but they are again massacred in this DVD's post-production. 4/10

Scene 8: Kobe Tai, Marc Davis
Scene from: Mission Erotica (1998)*
Directed by Michael Zen
7 mins
After Scene 2, this sequence has the worst, most blatant edits of the set. Kobe and Marc are just pawns in a manufactured game of show some sex and move on. First they kiss, then there is cunnilingus with manual stimulation. Then there is an almost instantaneous blowjob, followed by a physically impossible leap into doggie. A few strokes and close-ups later and we're in the middle of a hot ass fucking with cavernous breaching. Before you know it, Marc is ready to rock and he rolls out the jissum all over Kobe's face and mouth. Then they kiss. The final shots are interesting. It is rare to see a man cum in a woman's mouth and then soulfully kiss her. But that is what happens here and it makes something unbearable mildly fascinating. 3/10

Scene 9: Kobe Tai, Jenteal
Scene from: Stardust 8 (1996)*
Directed by Michael Zen
13 mins
It's time to break out the toys as Kobe takes on her first lesbian lover of this set. Jenteal and Kobe are shot in some manner of Photoshop stupidity that tweaks the colors to give the shoot a real 80's video vomit vibe. This goofiness often gets in the way of the action as bizarre solarizing and posterizing render crotch and crack areas into multi-colored chaos. The graphic lunacy lets up and we are left with a nice session of female 69, followed by some erotic tit play. While standing, Kobe eats Jenteal out. Then the double-headed plastic dildos come out to explore and implore. Each woman experiments with it, and then they fuck each other while sucking the end. Kobe takes a vibrator in her pussy. She then takes the dildo in her ass. In the end, the women appear to climax and then it's back to more breast sucking. This is a decent same sex sequence with both ladies really getting into it. The dumb digital nonsense at the beginning is obnoxious and bothersome, but it does disappear once things get going. 6/10

Scene 10: Kobe Tai, Brad Armstrong
Scene from: Filters (1998)*
Directed by Ralph Parfait
14 mins
In a strange scene in which both of the active actors play to the camera (could be because another dude is snapping shots during the sex), we see Kobe and Brad kissing and stroking each other. Suddenly, we are into a full-blown bout of head with testicle tickling. Kobe gets the return treatment with a little tongue fucking for good measure. Then it's an erotic session of 69. Eventually Kobe climbs on top and takes Brad's prick deep in her vagina. After some power thrusts it's on to doggie. Then reverse cowgirl. Finally, Brad blows his load all over Kobe's stomach and chest. This is another well-conceived, almost fluent scene that seems to survive the cutting and dissolves. The passion between the two is evident and the musical cues really add to the ambience. 7/10.

You have to admit it; Kobe is very erotic. She has a wonderful come hither stare and appears to love getting every orifice plugged over and over again. She even hints at and vocalizes the pain of being forced to take huge dicks in her ass with a real sensual squeal. Thanks to a set of decent implants, Kobe has a nice, if a tad skinny, shape and she also has one of those all over caramel colored tans that comes partly from heritage and partly from excessive exposure to some manner of sun (electric or real) or cosmetic (bronzing or otherwise). Except for one scene where someone mistakenly applies ice green eye shadow to her face, she looks very alluring and exotic. But all this does not make up for the duplication and mood altering editing in the set. Sure, if you were focusing on Kobe alone, intercut shots of other couples copulating would spoil the sell (and have critics saying "Why is Savannah so prominently featured in a Kobe collection?). Logic says that if there are ancillary moments in a hardcore session (some attempt at director aesthetic perhaps) which hold up the hotness, then why not merely cut to the cum? But some people, this critic included, like a scene to play in some manner of near real time. They enjoy the buildup, the passion leading toward the inevitable ejaculation. But in this ever-ADD growing media mindset, it's all hurry up and move along. Nasty as I Wanna Be definitely suffers from this whirlwind ideology.

The Video:
Presented in 1.33:1 full screen and created from various movie elements of definitely varying quality, Nasty as I Wanna Be: Kobe Tai is no visual feast. Most of the scenes are professionally lit and filmed, but in a couple of instances, the images are atrocious. The faux-video toaster retardation of Stardust 8 is a perfect example of such purposeful picture distortion. But there is no excuse for Filters looking so bad. It is pixelated and filled with digital defects. Overall, the transfers on Nasty as I Wanna Be are acceptable. But in a couple of instances, you'll wince at the wayward prints.

The Audio:
Volume Adjustment Warning! Just like with the Under Contract: Nikki Tyler DVD, this Vivid title is a Dolby Digital Stereo hurricane of grunts and groans. Kobe is one loud mammajamma and she screams with the best of them. So be alerted to this one fact. Playing this DVD at normal levels will either make you the envy of your neighborhood (Man, is he giving it to HER good!) or you'll be receiving citations for disturbing the peace. The soundtrack can also be intrusive, but for the most part, it is the lounge lizard fusion doodling that one expects from high-end porn.

The Extras:
As usual, Vivid tosses in a bunch of commercial come-ons for toys, herbal remedies and phone sex. They also include a series of trailers, a GREAT behind-the-scenes featurette and three bonus scenes. Dealing with the extra sex first, we get:

Bonus Scene 1: Kobe Tai, Bobby Vitale

Scene from: Jade Princess (1999)*
Directed by Michael Zen
15 mins
We enter into a sequence of passionate foreplay. There is deep kissing and some tender fondling. It's not long before Kobe is naked and having her pussy and ass eaten (with some intense rimming) by Bobby. Our tiny Taiwanese titan returns the favor with a deep -throated blowjob. Condom in place, Kobe climbs on top and begins the banging. Soon we are into doggie with deep penetration. Bobby then moves to the butt for some anal lovin' and throughout the ass blasting we are treated to extreme close-ups of the penal piston. The shot suddenly switches to the scissors position (Bobby is still from behind) and it's time for further up close examinations. When Mr. Vitale unloads, he blows his broth all over Kobe's stomach. This is a good scene, with some nice moments of intense sex. In some ways, this and the other bonus material are better than what is on the disc proper. 7/10

Bonus Scene 2: Kobe Tai, Janine, Alex Taylor
Scene from: Where The Boys Aren't 12 (1998)*
Directed by Eddie Edwards
13 mins
In one of the singularly most intense three-way lesbian scenes this critic has ever witnessed, Kobe, Janine and Alex make mincemeat out of the men as they fuck, suck and violate each other in jaw-dropping, delicious style. This is no sensual lipstick sisterhood exploration. These women are armed with double-headed dildos and they are not afraid to use them. After some displays of attitude, Janine takes one of the rubber rods and penetrates Kobe with it in a very aggressive manner. Kobe then joins Alex in some oral action of big J. They also grab the dong and stick it in Janine's eager pussy. There is lots of rimming and butt play (including the insertion of those lucky plastic novelties) and all the girls really get into it. The aggressive attitude is just electric. The sequence ends with Alex giving oral to Kobe why Janine services Ms. Taylor's naught bits. Sometimes people like their Sappho scenes all nice and soft. But then there are times when you want them hard and hot and this scene delivers. 8/10

Bonus Scene 3: Kobe Tai, Jeanna Fine
Scene from: Stardust 3 (1998)*
Directed by Michael Zen
9 mins
Lucky us! More lesbianism. Problem is, the scene is presented in a jerky, stop-motion style that is just plain annoying. Jeanna gives Kobe some intense oral, mixed with fingering and toe sucking. Kobe returns the gesture and then the toys (!) come out to play. Both ladies use vibrators and dildos on themselves and each other and they mimic all manner of positions. Kobe occasionally has her asshole licked and fingered by Jeanna and both women really get off on the "stimulation" devices. Overall, a good scene but it is nothing really spectacular. Maybe it has something to do with the way in which the installment was presented (that odd animation effect) or that there is no flow to the catch as catch can sex. 4/10

Behind the Scenes – Titsicle (2002)
In this 10-minute featurette, we witness the flip and flamboyant Chi Chi La Rue as he stages an ice cream parlor themed sex romp. We meet the latest hard cocked find, a mild mannered mister with an accent who proclaims that he knows his dick is small, but it is "VERY, VERY hard". Actress Aria is around, kvetching about one thing or another. We get to see how some of the sex acts are shot (including a revealing bit where a couple pretend to be in the act for a close-up, while it is obvious that, out of shot, nothing is going on genitally). This is a decent dive into the world of adult filmmaking, made all the more fascinating by the big queen qualities of Chi Chi.

Trailers: Titsicles, Virtual Love, Ms. Fortune, Sweet Hearts.

Final Thoughts:
Beginning with the Peter Meter scoring system, poor Disco Dirge is in a quandary here. Kobe is attractive, energetic, receptive, sensual and VERY VOCAL (always a plus in my book). But the way in which the scenes are handled, the dissolves and edits result in another pet peeve: the disruption of rhythm. It is safe to say that when watching adult material, you're average audience member freely fantasizes in and around the action, imaging him or her self in the circumstances pictured. And lets also face another fact, porn is meant to arouse. Put these two things together and you've got a recipe for high hard one return on your product. Problem is, most people don't think in fragmented portions. They like their lovin' to linger a little. So the quick cuts and pointless fade-outs really bothered me, lowering the DDPM to a 5/10. As for the Cohabitation Certification for Couples? Well, slap one on this disc, since, as with most Vivid material, there is an emphasis on sensuality and attractiveness. Overall, this is for the newcomer looking to branch out into a little Taiwanese titillation. Fans of Kobe and Vivid will already own what is offered on this disc. While the re-recycling of scenes is a little disingenuous, cultural diversity and ethnic beauty are successfully represented. Nasty as I Wanna Be: Kobe Tai is a decent compilation collection.