AusBonsai

Hey all, I'm brand new to Bonsai as my parents gifted me a tree.
The paper with it says it's a Japanese Cedar but after a bit of googling I can't really see the resemblance...
Perhaps it's a cultivar?

And after reading about the bad trees that are often sold to beginners; can someone tell me straight, have I ended up with a dud bonsai?

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Cryptomeria have juvenile foliage and different adult foliage so they look very different when young.
There are a number of different cultivars which all look a bit different including one called Cryptomeria japonica 'Compressa' which looks a lot like the one you have there so I'd be reasonably confident it is what it is supposed to be.

I tried Cryptomeria many years ago but they did not do well for me however they can make good bonsai.
Pretty sure they naturally turn brown in winter so if that happens it does not mean a problem.

Good luck with the bonsai journey.