Hey Silen. I’ll have a go if you don’t mind. What I’m seeing is a great trunk and absolutely the start of a literati long term. That first hard bend about 1/3 of the way up is stellar. That, in my opinion, is the highlight.
What makes the tree difficult to critique in its current form though, is its lack of refinement through wiring. Yes, quite a bit of foliage does need to be removed, but the smallest gauge wire needs to be applied and pads need distinguishing and established. In doing so, you will be able to take the flow of the foliage and move your eye back to that killer bend or use the foliage to compliment that bend some how. What may help that actually is a planting angle change. Rotating the trunk in the last picture 20 degrees or so counter clockwise, then wiring pads with direction back to that bend. Once wired and recovered and growing, you could down the road, Jin one or two of the branches that were initially wired. That way they are in the correct position and shape to fit the movement.
View attachment 252246
If it were mine, I’d go through and establish the back and forth rule of branching and eliminate the crotch growth, and shorten each of them. That will tell you pretty quick what to remove. Now, with that said, If the tree is freshly repotted, or freshly bent, id wait a few weeks to let the tree rest.
It’s really been a light bulb moment for me over the last few years with 2 different junipers of mine. Wiring almost 100% of the tree, even the soft stuff, is crucial to establish initial styling. It takes a long ass time, but is so worth it.
You’ve got a killer shape for a very small scale literati, now you’ve got to take the next step!
Hope that helps! And good luck!
Danny Hart