Hi Hal,
Welcome to the Forums! I have also felt that regular osu was not for me. So I ran to Taiko the same way you went to mania. But after playing a while, I have felt that I could not improve anymore. The trick to this is to screw the score and rating and just play songs that make you happy. Anyway, breaks are all good and it's nice to see you here.
From, DestinySonata
P.S. Welcome here to the forums, go go go you can do it! The key is to just enjoy! And also patience, just take it slowly~