I appreciate the discussion and different opinions.
The two branches on the JM are definitely dead.
The juni is not a shimpaku, unfortunately.
I will say that what I paid for these is less than what their pots would cost normally. So it's not like I could get better material for the price. If I could afford better material and was confident I could keep it alive, then I would buy it. The most I've spent on one tree was $55 for a larch. I've only been doing this for a year. In that year I've read a lot, so I feel like I have a good knowledge base, but I don't have the experience. So for now I will try to develop what I have which is mostly, well, crap. Hopefully, eventually, there will be a few trees that are respectable.