I have personal issues wth "Andromeda"

They tell you in the very intro of the game why they’re going to Andromeda. To explore. Yeah, I know, “they could’ve explored the Milky Way.” They didn’t. They wanted Andromeda. So, Andromeda.

Dark space is big. I don’t know where you’re from but to make it simple, the Reapers entered the Milky Way from California whereas the Initiative left the Milky Way from New York. That’s why they didn’t run into each other.

This is a bit confused. The Andromeda Initiative was founded several years before the Reaper threat was discovered. Anyway, if killer robots are coming to destroy everything, getting a handful of people out of the galaxy looks like a better idea than it was before, not a worse idea. (This comes up at the end of Ryder Family Secrets, actually.)
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The point is these massive arks meant to travel across the vast gulf of dark space, were designed and built for trite reasons, while the Reaper invasion and imminent galactic extinction couldn't inspire a unified front in the Milky Way.

But, again, not taking the Reaper threat seriously is a problem with the trilogy, not ME:A. That ship sailed when they were writing ME2.

I like Andromeda. The key with many current rpgs, for me, is to figure out the best way to play and enjoy the game. This goes for games from other developers as well as current BioWare games. I'm not going to answer every question, just think of it as Mass Effect 2.5
It is an offshoot that starts between 2 and 3. I wonder how that would go, play ME2, then follow it up with MEA before returning to ME3.

Hopefully we get more content (or a sequel) to tie up loose ends one day. I think that is where the series is at this point. You have the main trilogy and then "a mass effect story" type stuff from now on.
Ok maybe I will answer one. The Andromeda Initiative is filled with many outcasts, in varying ways, because who is going to leave a good, stable life behind? The rest of the Milky Way waved them off, and probably thought dealing with The Reapers was more appealing than sitting on Liam's couch. There certainly are days I'd rather get shot by a reaper than deal with a few customers.

It doesn't make much sense, it's really BioWare retconning the shit out of the franchise, but it's just an half assed retcon. The game already starts like you live in that universe since the dawn of time and everything makes so much sense since we are in Andromeda in less than 2 minutes something. It's bad.

Where's the bullshit, exactly?

There's only one human world with a substantial population. The other races have many. How does humanity even get to the point where they can field a force half as strong as the salarian fleet, and a quarter the strength of the turian fleet?

(I'm not sure 1/4  = "waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down," but that's just rhetoric.)

Regarding #8, the arks aren't traveling at subluminal speeds. They probably would have hit FTL before even reaching the galactic horizon, in which case they would have shot by any nearby reapers without being detected. Of course, this is putting aside the ridiculous vastness of space, where even a million reapers spread out a few AU apart would be a minute splotch in the area, in which case the chances of even getting near to one just shooting out into dark space would be pretty low.

#1. Jein Garson used her own money to build a ship to go to Andromeda so she can do some exploring. At some point she realized she didn't have enough to finish her project. In comes the Benefactor.

What I would be curious is how much of the project was completed before the Benefactor stepped in and when did the Benefactor step in?

The Andromeda Initiative cannot be explained with anything that comes close to be called reason or logic.

Technically it was 37 Years from the Discovery of Mass Effect technology -2148 -to the launch of the A.I. -2185.
Mass Effect Andromeda launched after ME1 and ME2 begins -IE: 2185. ME1 & ME2 in 2183 & 2184 respectively.
ME3 begins near the end of September or the beginning on October 2186.
Also by the time the Initiative is founded and begins the preparations for the trip Humanity has a seat on the council.
Also with the discovery of Mass Effect Field technology resources are not that hard to come by anymore:
These are not mutually exclusive.
They are a combined issue.
And as has been said before this is solved partially by the Ryder Family Secrets quest.
But as all have already figured out they were going to somehow have to shoehorn in a reason.
While this is actually hidden from most for the obvious reasons...
Remember the Reapers do have spies at this time nonetheless.
If they found out... what would they do?
I think we all already know.
This is a rather common Idiom:
To start over with a clean slate or to begin again anew with no attachments to the past.

If there is anything you would ever want to do different...
A mistake you best want to forget and put it in the past...
You do it and move on to the future and never look back.
Who would not give the chance for a do over for a life lived wrong to what they wanted?
In my opinion this is one of the few reasons that ME:A did right.
Again as said before the Initiative was set up by this "Benefactor" -be it a group or a lone person -identity of them is not based to any one race.
Kind of like the Cerberus organization was a financial power house while being independent of the System Alliance.
Point is that the A.I. was not backed by any of the governments of the Milky Way -and if otherwise -well hidden.
More likely it is like an organization like "Feed the children" or "Disabled Veterans of *Country So & So*
Where the wealthy fund it -either with the inclusion of themselves or true altruism .
As stated the A.I. was founded before Mass Effect 3.
The very game which is about building a fleet -among other things to stop these machines.
I see the A.I. as a Contingency Plan by the financial and scientist elite so as not to hedge all their eggs in one basket.
Should the Reaper threat turn out to be true at least from their viewpoint.
Sure space is vast and while that may be one solution but I have to ask:
Did you not play the Leviathan part of ME3?
That explains a lot.
The Reapers are natives of the Milky Way -albeit many generations removed from their originality.
It is my opinion -whether or not the Reapers want to believe it:
The Reapers still have an attachment for their home galaxy.
Plus who is to say that the Reapers have not become dependent on the Harvesting to function for extended periods.
Contiguous cycles of 50000 years and they have not altered?
Stagnation of a society -even dread machines will lead to degradation.
They may not be able to make it as far as Andromeda or its orbiting Triangulum satellite galaxy without ceasing.
Also could they even catch us?
I may be wrong -since I have not played in so long but do the Reapers only use the Relays to travel FTL -or can they jump like say the Normandy?

Wait, MEA had a plot? I thought that MEA was having a midlife crisis.

Who says they didn't have it on a few ships?