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Nichijou has always been an odd thing to review. Initial critics tended to agree that the anime had promise which it didn't quite live up to. As time went on, critics and fans alike started to appreciate Nichijou, and now it's universally beloved- well, almost universally, because as anyone reading reviews on myanimelist can see, Nichijou still has plenty of dedicated haters.
Why is anime so polarizing? Allow me to offer a theory: its sense of humor. You see, Nichijou is a prime example of random, surrealist humor, the kind of humor best exemplified in the West by Monty Python, The Far Side, Napoleon Dynamite, ... or the ASDF Movie. If you're familiar with any of these, then you know what I'm talking about. The thing about this sort of humor is, it's very subjective, even more so then regular humor. You can't exactly predict who will like it and who won't. On the surface, Nichijou doesn't seem like something that would appeal to a straight male who tends to favor rather gory seinen anime (but that's me, and here I am giving this it a 10 out of 10). Of course, there are general patterns, and if you liked all of the things I mentioned, then you'll probably like Nichijou as well. All the same, keep in mind that it takes a strange person to appreciate Nichijou- but fortunately, most of us who watch anime are strange people.
One last preliminary: I should probably admit I have a soft spot for Nichijou, as it's the first anime I ever watched. That said, I doubt my opinion of it would be any different if it were the most recent anime I'd watched. Now that's out of the way, let's move on to discussing the content.

Comedy: 10/10
Ordinarily, this section would be called "story"- but you see, Nichijou doesn't really have a plot, or a story, or anything like that. To be sure, there is progression, and some characters even have arcs- but nothing like an overarching storyline. This makes sense, when you think about it- Nichijou means "everyday life" in Japanese, and the anime revolves around the ordinary lives of its characters. Is it a sketch comedy? Kind of, but that doesn't really begin to describe it. Nichijou is really extra (see art and characters, below), and so the comedy usually takes one of two directions: the first is to make a very dull, ordinary event over the top by animation; the second is to insert incredibly bizarre elements into an otherwise ordinary scene. Then there are some scenes that are just random: many of these, of course, are puns or other forms of humor that don't quite translate outside of Japanese culture- but some scenes are so random that it's hard to see how they would make sense in any language. Sound crazy? It is. That's why it's so hilarious.

Art: 10/10
Very beautifully animated. As others before have pointed out, most people would take a slice-of-life comedy as an excuse to be miserly on the animation budget. Not so Nichijou: Kyoto Animation seems to have taken this as an excuse to do the exact opposite. The animation of Nichijou is a key component of the humor: it's over the top, brilliant, and must have cost a lot to make. I can't really do justice to it, it has to be seen to be believed.

Sound: 10/10
Not only is the voice acting high quality, but the anime has amazing music: the soundtrack is fun (I especially love the organ/choral bit they play during mock-epic scenes), and the openings, Hyadain no Kakakatakataomoi and Hyadain no Joujou Yuujou, are brilliant (even more when you consider that the multiple voices in each song are all done by one guy).

Characters: 10/10
This really is Nichijou's strong point: its hilarious and amazing characters. The main characters of the show fall into two epic trios: one, the high school friends Aioi Yuuko (lovable but incredibly dumb), Noganahara Mio (a seemingly normal girl who draws highly inappropriate manga), and Minakami Mai (the deadpan character, always playing bizarre pranks); the other, Hakase (lit. "Professor", a genius inventor who also happens to be an eight-year-old girl), Shinonome Nano (a robot built by Hakase, who is for all intents and purposes except body a sentient human being), and Sakamoto-san (their cute little black cat... who talks... and has the voice and personality of a grumpy middle-aged man). Then there are the supporting characters, such as Sasahara Koujirou (wannabe aristocrat with impeccable manners... who rides to school on a goat), Tachibana Misato (the tsundere character who likes Sasahara... and demonstrates it by attacking him with heavy weaponry), and my personal favorite, the very relatable Takasaki-sensei (who has feelings for a fellow teacher, but is far too nervous to tell her... with hilarious results). And these are only a few of the people who inhabit the world of Nichijou.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Most of this enjoyment, of course, is contingent on appreciating the comedy. The animation, characters, and audio will do the rest.

Overall: 10/10
Looking back on it, this is probably the best into to anime I could have had: hilarious, gorgeous artwork, and the amazing soundtrack lured me in immediately and made me want more. Of course, few, if any, anime are like Nichijou- and not that that's a bad thing. But the fact remains that Nichijou is unique, and brilliant in its uniqueness. I can't recommend Nichijou enough.